HOW TO PICK THE BEST RHUBARB
Contrary to popular belief, there is no significant difference in taste when comparing red and green rhubarb. Instead, you want to pick rhubarb that is crisp and firm. Fresh rhubarb will also have a shiny appearance to it. I prefer to use thinner stalks as they are easier to chop into evenly sized ½” pieces. Just remember to discard any of the rhubarb leaves — they are toxic!
HOW TO PREVENT A RUNNY STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRISP (OR PIE)
Both strawberries and rhubarb contain a lot of water that exudes from them when baked. I’ve tested so many different methods of making a strawberry rhubarb filling that isn’t runny, and I’ve found the best and easiest method is to macerate the fruit beforehand.
I simply macerate the strawberries and rhubarb in half of the sugar (and a tablespoon of orange juice) for about an hour and discard the liquid that is exuded. (Don’t worry… I developed this recipe to account for the sugar lost when discarding the juices). I’ve found that this method removes excess moisture and improves the final texture of the filling.
Additionally, I allow my strawberry rhubarb crisp to cool for at least one hour — ideally, even longer, when it is closer to room temperature. This allows the cornstarch enough time to set the filling. But if you absolutely can’t wait, cutting into it early isn’t detrimental, and the crisp will still taste great!
MACERATING THE STRAWBERRIES AND RHUBARB
In a large bowl, stir together the strawberries, rhubarb, orange juice, and only 1/2 cup of sugar until the sugar has dissolved and become syrupy.
Empty the fruit into a colander and place the colander over the same bowl you used to mix the fruit together. This will allow any liquid that exudes from the fruit to drain.
Allow the fruit to macerate at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon every 15 minutes. After an hour, the fruit will have reduced in size and the liquid will have drained into the bowl below.
In the meantime, you can begin preparing the streusel topping.
PREPARING THE STREUSEL (CRUMBLE TOPPING)
Preheat your oven to 350℉.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, mix the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, and salt. Add in the oats and continue mixing until well combined.
Dice the chilled butter into ¼” pieces and add it into the mixture. Mix on low/medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture comes together and no dry spots remain.
Using your fingers, clump the mixture together to form chunks. Chill the crumble topping in the refrigerator while preparing the strawberry rhubarb filling.
PREPARING THE STRAWBERRY RHUBARB FILLING
After the strawberries and rhubarb have been macerating for at least an hour, remove the colander and discard any juices that have dripped into the bowl.
Pour the fruit back into the bowl and add in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, along with the orange zest, cornstarch, and salt. Mix until well combined. (The mixture will be gooey, not dry.)
Add in the butter (⅛” diced) and mix until well distributed throughout the mixture.
ASSEMBLING AND BAKING THE STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRISP
Pour the strawberry rhubarb mixture into an 8” square baking dish.
Using your fingers to create chunks, evenly cover the top of the filling with the streusel (crumble topping).
Place your baking dish on a sheet pan and bake it in the center of the oven for 60 minutes. The filling should be bubbly; the top should be golden brown.
Allow the crisp to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. Cutting into the crisp too soon will cause a lot of liquid to seep out. (Remember: cornstarch thickens and sets as it cools.)
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling
- 1 lb strawberries, quartered (about 4 cups)
- 1 lb rhubarb, cut into ½" pieces (about 4 cups)
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and ⅛" diced
For the Streusel (Crumble Topping)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup oats (rolled or large flake)
- 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼" cubes
Equipment
Instructions
Macerating the Strawberries and Rhubarb
- In a large bowl, stir together the strawberries, rhubarb, orange juice, and only ½ cup of sugar until the sugar has dissolved and become syrupy.1 lb strawberries, quartered1 lb rhubarb, cut into ½" pieces1 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- Empty the fruit into a colander. Set the colander over the same large bowl you used in Step 1. (This will allow the liquid that exudes from the fruit to drain.)
- Allow the fruit to macerate in the sugar at room temperature for 1 hour — stirring with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon every 15 minutes — until the fruit has reduced in size and the liquid has drained into the bowl below.
Preparing the Streusel (Crumble Topping)
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350℉.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, mix flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Add in oats and continue mixing until well combined.¾ cup all-purpose flour1 cup oats⅓ cup granulated sugar⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed¼ tsp kosher salt
- Dice chilled butter into ¼" pieces and add into the mixture. Mix on low/medium speed until the mixture comes together and no dry spots remain (about 3 to 5 minutes). Note: The mixture may appear dry at first — that’s OK… just keep mixing!8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼" cubes
- Using your fingers, clump the dry mixture together. Chill in the refrigerator while preparing the strawberry rhubarb filling.
Preparing the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling
- After the strawberries and rhubarb have macerated for the full hour, remove the colander from the bowl and discard the liquid that has drained into the bowl. (This will also discard some of the sugar — that is okay!)
- Empty the strawberries and rhubarb back into the same large bowl. Add in the remaining ½ cup of sugar, along with the orange zest, cornstarch, and salt. Mix until well combined (the mixture will be gooey).1 tsp orange zest¼ cup cornstarch¼ tsp kosher salt
- Add in the diced butter and mix until well distributed throughout the mixture.2 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and ⅛" diced
Assembling and Baking the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Pour strawberry rhubarb filling into an 8" square baking dish.
- Using your fingers, evenly cover the top of strawberry rhubarb filling with streusel (crumble topping).
- Set the baking dish on a sheet pan. Bake in the center of the oven until filling is bubbly and crumble topping is golden brown (about 60 minutes).
- Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving (otherwise liquid may seep out), or allow to cool completely and refrigerate.
Notes
- Preventing Runny Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp:
- Macerate the fruit for 1 hour. This allows a significant amount of liquid to drain. (Don’t worry… I developed this recipe to account for the sugar lost when discarding the juices.)
- Also, allow the crisp to cool for at least 1 hour. This allows the cornstarch to set the filling so it doesn’t ooze liquid when served.
