I love a good fruit crisp!!! And I’ve tried many recipes over the years looking for the perfectly crisp, not too sweet topping that will stay crisp for at least another day!! I finally came up with this recipe. This crisp does not contain oatmeal so I suppose it’s not as “healthy” as other recipes. Haven’t tried whole wheat flour yet but it might work. My family prefers no oatmeal but I will post a recipe including oatmeal that is and stays crispy another time.
A couple of pointers for a really crisp topping: The crisp is done once the juices start to bubble at the sides. If you continue to bake it and the juices bubble more this will soften the topping. For this reason, you also don’t want too much juice from the fruit in the bottom. To store crisp for the next day do not cover it tightly with plastic wrap or foil – simply lay a sheet of wax paper or parchment over the top to protect it. If bugs are an issue, the microwave is a good place to store something like this. Unless you are really vigilant about checking your oven before you turn it on I wouldn’t recommend storing anything in the regular oven.
Reheat leftover crisp at 425 F for about 5 minutes and it should stay quite crisp.
Try serving the rhubarb crisp with strawberry ice cream!!
Rhubarb Crisp
Serves 4 – 6.
Topping:
1 cup flour
¾ dark brown sugar
½ cup butter, melted gently – see recipe
pinch of salt
Filling:
3 cups chopped rhubarb or other fruit* – frozen fruit should be thawed and drained
3 tbsp. sugar or to taste depending on the fruit
1 tbsp. cornstarch
generous pinch of spice – nutmeg for rhubarb and blueberry or cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Lightly butter baking dish – I used an oval dish approximately 6 in. X 10 in. X 1 ½ inches deep.
Mix flour and brown sugar well. Melt butter until it is about half melted then remove from heat (or microwave) and stir until it is a creamy liquid. (You don’t want the butter to separate – if it does simply cool mixture a little and stir well.) Stir the butter into the flour mixture and mix well. Use your hands to make it clump together a bit.
In bowl, mix filling ingredients. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle topping over top. If very full, place on a cookie sheet (lined with foil for easy cleanup) to catch any drips. Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 F for a further 15 – 20 minutes or just until it starts bubbling at the edges. Let cool about 5 – 10 minutes before serving with ice cream or whipped cream.
To reheat: Reheat leftovers in a 425 F oven for about 5 minutes.
*Rhubarb is delicious combined with other fruits. Even people who don’t think they like rhubarb tend to like it combined with another fruit. Substitute any of the following for up to half of the rhubarb: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, plums, cherries, even peaches!!