Anyone who knows me is aware that I love too cook but am incapable of following a recipe. I love to hunt down good recipes and then try my hardest to follow along, but invariably start adding my own dash of this or that or taking away what I can’t find in the cupboard. It is almost a sickness. I also tend to just start throwing things together, sans viable recipe, making it impossible to exactly re-create what was made or give confidence to those who are brave enough to eat at my table.
One of my favorites all-time fruits also happens to be readily available before Summer even begins and is often free. If you grow rhubarb, you probably have more than you can handle right now and you are begging your neighbors to take some off your hands. Not only are the luscious, red stalks complex and wonderfully tart, it is super easy and fast to use in cooking– 2 of my favorite attributes of any recipe. I am also a huge cardamom fan. After learning to suck on the tiny, black seeds straight from the pod during my visits to Guatemala as a child, I can’t get enough of the lemony spice. If you can get it whole and grind the seeds, you get even more punch. Yum.
So I thought I would share my latest creation: Rhubarb Crisp with Cardamom Cream. It was a big hit a dinner party last week (thanks for your enthusiasm Ryan) and is about the easiest dessert you can put together. After the raves, I decided that I would try to start measuring things now and then and write my recipes down and maybe even blog about them here and there. Let me know what you think.
Rhubarb Crisp with Cardamom Cream
For the filling:
6 cups chopped rhubarb, 1/4 inch or so
1 cup berries of your choice (this is optional, but a good way to add complexity to the crisp and get rid of last Summer’s frozen berry stash– I like blackberries or strawberries.)
Finely chopped zest of 1 orange (can be optional, but is really nice for flavor)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground Cardamom
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
For the topping:
1 cup flour (white or wheat works)
1/2 cup oats
1/3 sliced and crumbled almonds (pecans would be good too)
3/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup+ canola oil
1 Tbsp. molasses
On top:
Whipping cream whipped with a bit of vanilla, powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp plus ground cardamom (adjust amounts to your taste.)
What to do:
Heat oven to 375 and oil or butter a large baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, toss together filling ingredients until well coated. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
In same mixing bowl, toss together topping ingredients until well combined. The topping should hold together when firmly squeezed– if not, add a bit more oil. Sprinkle topping on fruit and press down to completely cover.
At this point, you can cover and refrigerate for later baking or pop into the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until crisp is nicely browned and fruit is very soft and bubbly.
Serve warm with generous dollops of the Cardamom Cream. Serves 6-8.
