Apple and rhubarb crumble

When rhubarb is in season, I only make rhubarb crisp! I add apples to mine so that the filling doesn’t taste like baby food. The tangy filling is the best! Serve with ice cream!

Rhubarb is a unique fruit!

It’s one of the rare recipes that I cannot offer any flexibility because rhubarb is not replaceable! Its unique texture, vibrant red color, and distinctive tang are unmatched. Even its cooking properties are unique. It can go from being apple-like crisp to very soft with no apparent “tender crispy” in between.

What I have just realized is that it might not sound very appetizing. The softness of the crumble filling is due to its cooking. It is also the reason I combine it with apples to give it a much-needed texture.

A guide for those who are new to rhubarb …..

What is it –A veggie, but mostly for desserts! It looks like celery but with red stalks.
Flavor– Tart like lemon, but not as sour. You would not eat a lemon pie; it’s too bad. You can make a rhubarb pie.
Why it’s so popular – It’s a great vegetable for its unique flavor and color.
What is it used for? Mostly desserts. It’s used in a lot of desserts – I am so unoriginal. You can use rhubarb alone or with other fruits – strawberries and apples are favorites. Why? Why?
You can also use it to decorate cakes, muffins, pastries (think of red stalks baked onto the tops), or tarts.
Use it– It is usually cooked but can also be eaten raw. I have had it in salads. It becomes soft, and the flavor is milder when cooked.
How do you cook it? Baked, stewed. It is so soft that it doesn’t hold its shape after cooking. Within 5 minutes, chopped pieces will become a similar consistency to jam.
When the season is in –Opposite Times in Different Parts of the World!- Aust/NZ: Late winter to spring (June-Sept)
Spring to summer in the US/UK/Northern Hemisphere (April-June)
– Forced Rhubarb: UK Early Variety, Jan-Mar. It is grown in darkness rather than outdoors. Pinker, softer, and more tender than red. It is not available in Australia, so I haven’t tried the crumble recipe. It’s possible adjustments are needed, such as less sugar or juice thickener. Nigella’s recipe for forced rhubarb Crumble is a good alternative.
Grows as a weed. Un-killable, I’m told. Try planting some.

Apple & Rhubarb Crumble Ingredients

The section above contains rhubarb talk. This section covers everything else.
- RhubarbChatter as above. You’ll need about 10-12 stalks of rhubarb in a large bunch. You may find small, pathetic bunches. Search for the largest and best. You want firm, celery-like stems and not dehydrated (juiceless) ones. Once the branches have been cut, you need between 4 1/2 and 5 cups. It’s okay if you are a little short. It will still be delicious! You could go more.
Granny Smith — As I mentioned above, rhubarb is good combined with other fruits to add texture to the filling. If you don’t, it will just be a large dish of soft rhubarb that tastes like apple purée.
- Granny Smiths are my favorite because of their tartness (which matches the rhubarb), and they hold their shape when cooked.
- Sugar To balance the tanginess of the rhubarb, green apple and create a syrup using the juices.
- Orange zest – Optional! It adds a bit of citrus zing.
No thickener Early versions of rhubarb crisp used cornstarch/cornflour or flour to thicken juices that I expected to be released by the rhubarb when it was baked. Rhubarb, however, is not as juicy as Apple or Strawberry. It made the filling paste instead of creating a sauce. You don’t need it. The majority of the juiciness of rhubarb stays inside the barely-holding-together cooked rhubarb pieces that burst out in your mouth when you bite into it!

CRUMBLE TOPPING

This crumble topping is crisper because it contains less butter than the classic apple crumble. The reason is that the butterier Crumble steals juice from the filling, which makes it “doughy” at the bottom, and the rhubarb topping lacks juice. The Crumble was pasty. It took multiple iterations (“The Crumble is pasty!!
Regular oats. It is not quick cook, nor steel cut.
Brown Sugar– To improve the caramel flavor and color of the topping. White sugar can be substituted.
Butter For buttery goodness and as the moist ingredient that brings the Crumble mix.
Baking Powder – To give it a little lift. Otherwise, the topping is too hard.
Flour Plain/White flour Almond meal is a good gluten-free substitute.
Cinnamon is a must in almost every crumble recipe I make!
Sea Salt– A pinch is all you need to bring out flavors.

How to Make Apple & Rhubarb Crunch

Easy to prepare. Rhubarb can be designed so easily!

1. Rhubarb: Wash the stems. Trim the dirty end. Cut into equal lengths of 4cm/1.5”. The leaves should be thrown away – you shouldn’t eat them.
In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb and apple with sugar, orange zest and. Spread in a 30x20cm baking dish (or 12 x 8 ”).
1. Size of baking pan –If your pan is not this size, choose a smaller one. If you use a pan that is too large, the filling will become too thin. It may also be less juicy (the crumble topping will absorb some juices).
2. Crumble topping– Mix all ingredients for the crumble topping in a large bowl until there is no flour left. This mixture contains less butter, as noted in the elements. You’ll have to mix it a bit longer. Use a cutting motion to mix it up.
Chunky Bits! Grab handfuls from the crumble mix and press them together. Use your fingers to break the crumble mixture into clumps and cover the surface.
Why do I perform this odd step? There are a couple of reasons. As I mentioned before, rhubarb has less juice than other fruits that are used to make crumbles, like apples, so I didn’t want the crumble topping to fall into the rhubarb and steal the precious juices. As I discovered first-hand, it makes the filling paste.
1. Second, I want to keep the crumbly pieces for crunch and not a layer of dry sand. Solution? Solution? Easy!
2. Cover the surface using the crumbled mixture.
Bake for 35 minutes, until the crumble topping turns golden and the rhubarb becomes tender. You will see red juices rising on the sides. To check, poke the rhubarb using a butter knife. Some rhubarb pieces can be extra firm and thick, so they may need an additional 5 minutes to bake. However, 35 minutes is the ideal baking time for me.
Rest 5 minutes prior to serving. This allows it to cool down and gives the juices an opportunity to thicken.

Ingredients

RHUBARB FILLING

- - ▢ 500g/ 4 1/2 cups rhubarb stems, cut into 4cm / 1.5″ pieces (1 large bunch rhubarb, 10 – 12 stems, cleaned, DISCARD LEAVES) – Note 1
  - ▢ White sugar, 1/3 cup
  - ▢ 3 Granny Smith Apples (600g/1.2lb) peeled and cut into 1.5cm/3/5″ cubes. Three cups/450g when cut (Note 2).
  - ▢ Optional but recommended: Zest 1 orange

TOPPING:

- - ▢ 1 cup rolled Oats (not steel-cut or quick oats)
  - ▢ 1 cup plain/all-purpose flour
  - ▢ 3/4 cup brown sugar (tightly packaged)
  - ▢ Baking powder, 1/2 tsp
  - ▢ 1 tsp of cinnamon powder
  - ▢ 90g/6 tbsp of unsalted butter, melted
  - ▢ Salt pinch

Serve (Must!)

- - ▢ Vanilla ice cream – or pouring Custard

Instructions

- - Pre-heat to 200degC/375degF (182degC fan).
  - Filling: Place rhubarb and apple in a large bowl; add sugar and zest of orange. Toss to combine. Spread evenly into a 30cm x 20cm (12″ x 8″) baking dish.
  - Crumble topping: Place topping ingredients in a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon (cutting motion or smearing wall as required). This will look like a sandy mix.
  - Scrunch and top: Grab handfuls of Crumble and press with your fist. Divide into chunks and sprinkle over the filling. Note 4 explains the unusual step. ).
  - Bake until the rhubarb softens and the Crumble turns golden brown. (Bake Time – Note 5)
- Rest and serve: Remove from the oven and let it rest for five minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or Custard.