blueberry rhubarb crumble

[pauraque_bk]

For some reason I never had rhubarb before I moved to Vermont. It doesn't seem as popular on the west coast. Maybe it doesn't grow there? Some people where I live now have it growing in their yard like a weed. Anyway, this was dessert last night, pieced together from a few different recipes:



Blueberry Rhubarb Crumble

Filling ingredients:
5 cups blueberries
3 cups chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons cornstarch

Topping ingredients:
2 cups vanilla wafer cookies (I measured them before I crushed them, not sure of the volume after crushing)
1/3 cup butter, melted

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Heat the filling ingredients in a pot until the fruit releases some liquid (might want to add a little water to get it started if the blueberries aren't frozen), then bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes, until it's the consistency of pie filling.

3. Meanwhile, crush the cookies into coarse crumbs (I used a ziplock bag and a rolling pin), transfer them to a bowl, then mix in the melted butter.

4. Pour filling into a 9 inch square nonstick or greased baking pan. (May want to get the pot in the sink right away, since this stuff gets really sticky when it dries.) Spread topping over the filling and smooth it out lightly so it doesn't sink in.

5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the crust is done and filling is bubbling. Let cool at least 10 minutes before eating. Serving with vanilla ice cream is optional, but recommended!

Substitutions:

I've made that crust with gluten free vanilla wafers and margarine before, still works and tastes great. You can also make the whole thing as a pie, reducing the filling as needed, but the pieces won't stay together as neat triangles or anything.

The fruit you use and the proportions can be varied however you want — I've included apples and pears before, and other berries should work too. Some people do a 100% rhubarb crumble or pie, but that is eye-wateringly tart to me unless you increase the sugar.

Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Feel free to comment wherever you're comfortable.

Comments

[torino10154]

Looks DELICIOUS! I love rhubarb, we used to have it in No Cal when I was a kid at my Grandmother's house, and my dad has had it in his garden in Washington state. He makes all kinds of pies, including both straight rhubarb and strawberry/rhubarb. I like the idea of blueberries though. :D

[pauraque]

Googling suggests that growing rhubarb can be more difficult as you get further south on the west coast, because it's not cold enough. Obviously not a problem anyone has in Vermont!

[vaysh]

That looks absolutely delicious and I just may try it this weekend. Random fact: cornstarch in Germany is called Mondamin, after the Ojibwa God Mon-dau-min. Everybody who has a garden in Germany grows rhubarb. :)

[pauraque]

Huh, I'd never have known that! I do love surprising etymologies. :)

[vaysh]

I thought you might enjoy this bit of Useles Knowledge. :)

There is Maisstärke, too, which is the direct translation of cornstarch.
Mondamin is a brand name that has come to mean the thing, no matter the brand. Like Kleenex in the US for paper handkerchiefs. (Or Tempo in Germany.)
The name Mondamin comes from Longfellow's Hiawatha, I think. It was rather popular in Germany at the time when corn starch was introduced.

[pauraque]

Ahh, I see how the word got to Germany, then. Of course we have many, many words of Native American origin in US English — which must mean they're all over the world, now.

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

Looks delicious! Rhubard always adds a nice, satisfying tang.

[pauraque]

It does indeed!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_hannelore/]

It's so bizarre to me that people pay money for it in the store because it literally takes over people's yards. They try to give it away (as you've seen) like zucchini and tomatoes.

(yes reader, it WAS very delicious. Yay!)

[pauraque]

Every region probably has things like that, like the lemon trees in California.

[wootsauce.livejournal.com]

Strangely enough my local grocery store carries rhubarb. I've had rhubarb pie here but only in the context of it being someone's family dish or whatever. I still don't really understand what it is. Pink celery? Pink celery goes in pie?

[pauraque]

That confused me at first too, and is probably why I never bought it before even if I did see it at a store. It's a vegetable that tastes like a fruit. The stalks look like celery, which I hate, and the leaves look like kale, which could be okay but probably not as a dessert, right? (Actually the leaves are poisonous, I'm told.) It doesn't taste anything like either of those things, though. If I had to compare it to anything, it's more like really, really tart cherry. Supposedly some people eat it raw, but that's a little overwhelming for me.