This easy rhubarb crisp is made with a buttery cinnamon streusel topping—without oats, thank you very much—and beneath it lies just humble rhubarb, sugar, and orange zest. A quintessential spring dessert. Not too sweet. Not too tart. Just right. And superbly simple.
Adapted from Peter Berley | Fresh Food Fast | William Morrow, 2013
This rhubarb crisp goes beyond being a truly inspired dessert to also being a lovely breakfast dessert—so much so that some of us have been known to wake early and bake a batch, especially for said purpose. (And while it’s perfectly lovely all on its own, we wouldn’t kick it out of bed with a little ice cream, whipped cream, or yogurt. Do with that information what you will.)–Renee Schettler
HOW DO I KEEP MY RHUBARB CRISP FROM BEING RUNNY?
The simple elegance of this recipe means that there aren’t a lot of extra ingredients, like flour or cornstarch, to thicken up the juices in the filling. This means that you’re relying on cooking down the fruit to get a good consistency. Don’t overcook the fruit but do let the juice simmer enough to reduce. It should only take 5 minutes and you’re going to want to keep an eye on it. Also, keep in mind that the filling will set up a little bit as it cools, so you might be just fine.
Easy Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
For the rhubarb filling
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh rhubarb trimmed and sliced (about 4 1/2 cups)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest preferably organic
For the streusel topping
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar preferably Demerara
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch kosher or fine sea salt
- 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter cold, cut into pieces
- Whipped cream or ice cream for serving
Directions
Make the rhubarb filling
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F (218°C).
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the rhubarb, sugar, and orange zest and simmer until the sugar dissolves into a gooey syrup and the rhubarb is sorta but not totally tender, about 5 minutes.
Make the streusel topping
- If using a food processor, toss the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles very coarse crumbs containing pea-sized blobs of butter. If not using a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Use 2 knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture until what you have in the bowl resembles very coarse crumbs containing pea-sized blobs of butter.
Bake and serve the crisp
- Dump the rhubarb mixture into a 9-inch pie plate or 10-inch gratin dish and sprinkle the flour mixture evenly over the top. Bake until the topping is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
- Let the crisp cool ever so slightly. Serve it warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
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Originally published May 30, 2014