Rhubarb's True Bae

If you've never swapped strawberries for raspberries in a rhubarb recipe, you'll be sorry you waited this long....

My love for rhubarb goes way back. My dad is a real hands-in-the-earth kind of guy and while he never had a great finesse with plants, he made up for it in hard work. Always knees down in the garden, under the sun, back bent over, trying to grow what he could in our backyard plot. One of the plants that was always a great success (probably because it’s almost impossible to kill and comes back year after year) was rhubarb. If you’ve never seen a rhubarb plant, it’s a showstopper. The ruby red stalks grow really long (they can get over 3 feet long!) and the leaves at the ends of the stalks are often larger than dinner plates. I’m sure my dad felt proud of those plants, carrying in a big bouquet for my mom to work her magic in the kitchen. But now that I think about it, I don’t really remember eating it any other way other than paired with strawberries in jams and pies.

As I grew up, rhubarb kept re-entering my life.

Exhibit A: My cousin Jayne runs a phenomenal compost operation in Rhode Island (earthcarefarm.com), passed down to her from her father, Mike, and lovingly grown and expanded by Jayne. Mike started composting in 1977 and probably around that time planted his first two rhubarb plants. Over the years he divided those rhubarb crowns thereby gradually multiplying his crop. (It’s quite easy for you to do this at home if you want to give it a try! Here’s a video of Jayne and her father showing you how it’s done.) Today, Earth Care Farm has a glorious half acre of rhubarb and I’ve been lucky enough to be allowed to drop by at least once a spring to pull out as many stalks as I can carry. This haul produces a summer’s worth of jams, pies and crisps. (Also worth noting: Rhubarb freezes beautifully. Freeze the whole stalks tightly bundled in a resealable bag or chop the rhubarb, freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a resealable bag and store in the freezer. I’ve used frozen rhubarb successfully a full year later.)

Exhibit B: My dear friend Nichole (@nicholeate) moved to Copenhagen and introduced me to the beloved Danish dessert that is a ridiculous tongue twister, so much so that they dare any non-Dane to try and pronounce it then laugh wildly at the sad failed attempts. In fairness I believe it’s considered one of the hardest Danish words to pronounce. It’s called: rødgrød med fløde, (not that this is going to help but it’s pronounced hrooth ghrooth mith floothuh, with the th pronounced like in other and not like in truth). In any case, it’s a delicious red fruit compote/pudding paired with cream and is always made with rhubarb and a mix of red berries and fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and even cherries. I adore it

Exhibit C: I spent 14 years working in the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia where all things hyper seasonal were exalted. My colleague and kitchen partner Sarah (@sarahcarey1) has a particular affection for rhubarb. If it was May, Sarah’s tote bags were bursting with rhubarb from the farmer’s market. She was obsessed with making jam and pies in particular (this obsession has not died) and I believe it was Sarah that let me in on the secret that raspberries NOT strawberries were the true perfect pairing for rhubarb. She is not wrong. I love the tart, floral note that raspberries bring to the combo. While strawberries can sometimes get watery and weak when cooked, raspberries never fail to be bold and bright, adding not only a deep red berry flavor but also a rich red hue that strawberries could never match.

The following crisp is my go to way of kicking off rhubarb season. The orange zest and vanilla bean are not necessary but they certainly make a rather simple crisp special. Also, this is a great plant-based dessert if you simply swap in a vegan butter (I like the Trader Joe’s version- see below) in the crumble and the sweetened condensed coconut milk that gets drizzled on at the end is sensational- seek it out, it’s worth every penny (link below)—sorry, not sorry for the addiction it’s going to cause.

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Rhubarb Raspberry Crisp

Serves 4-6

• 1 pound rhubarb, cut into ½-1-inch pieces 

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• Zest of 1 orange

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 4 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen

• ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped (optional)

• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

• ⅓ cup whole wheat flour

• ⅓ cup brown sugar

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 8 tablespoons (4 oz) cold unsalted butter (or plant-based butter or solid coconut oil), cut into small pieces

• ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats

• Sweetened condensed coconut milk (find it here)

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1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, granulated sugar, orange zest, cornstarch, raspberries, and vanilla bean seeds (if using) and mix gently to coat. Allow to sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally until juices start to release from the fruit.

3. In another bowl, combine flours, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Rub butter into flour mixture with your fingers until it is well incorporated and large crumbs form. Add oats and combine.

4. Transfer fruit mixture to a baking dish. Crumble over topping and bake until bubbling around the edges and towards the center and top is golden brown, about 45 minutes- 1 hour. 

5. Allow to cool and serve with a generous drizzle of sweetened condensed milk, if desired.