Berry rhubarb crumble

As a kid, I used to sit on the back stoop with a stalk of rhubarb and a little cup of sugar, dipping and crunching my way through a sunny afternoon in suburban Ottawa. I still love rhubarb today and have two rhubarb plants growing in my west coast garden that I use for baking. I harvested from one this weekend to encourage new growth and to make this berry rhubarb crumble.

I love this kind of baking. It's rustic and beautiful.

Here's how I made it:

The filling:

1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

4 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped

2 cups blueberries (I had frozen ones handy, but you could use fresh too)

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

The topping:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

I started by preheating my oven to 350 degrees (F). To make the filling, I combined the rhubarb, strawberries, and blueberries in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, I mixed together the sugar and flour, then added the dry ingredients to the berries and rhubarb and tossed to coat. I poured the filling into a 9x9 ceramic baking dish.

To make the oat topping, I creamed the butter and brown sugar with a fork in a medium mixing bowl. Then I stirred in the oats, followed by the flour. The topping was then sprinkled over the filling.

The crumble went in the oven for 45 minutes until the filling was bubbling up through the golden topping. Divine! I mean, really. The colours, the texture, the warmth - there's a whole lot of love in this dessert.

This recipe makes enough to serve about six, so we have some leftover in the fridge. Not for long, though.

What are you making with rhubarb these days? Got a recipe you want to share? Leave a comment and brag about what's happening in your kitchen this weekend!