While I was making this delicious rhubarb crisp, I had the baseball game on in the background. As I sliced the beautifully colored stalks, I wondered why, in old-school baseball lexicon, a fight between the two teams on the diamond became known as a "rhubarb?"I would be lying if I told you I've spent a lot of time searching for an answer, but a couple times a season I'll hear the broadcaster use the term, and I'll wonder to myself, "why rhubarb?" If you know, please pass it along so I can check this off my list of useless mysteries to solve before I die.
It's on there along with, "where are all the baby pigeons?" and "why doesn't San Francisco have any good radio stations?"
If you've never tried rhubarb before, this is the recipe for you. The sweet, crisp topping taking the edge off the tart, tangy fruit – both benefiting from a creamy scoop of vanilla ice cream – this is a great, old-fashion American dessert.
I don't know why such a great ingredient is so under-used, sure the leaves are poisonous, but that doesn't stop us from eating other foods. I think we have a tough time with fruits you can't eat raw. You can’t snap off a rib of rhubarb in the garden and chomp away while watering the roses.Who knows? But, what I do know is if you're looking for a great summery dessert that's supper easy, and a little unusual, you'll want to give this a try. Just make sure you make enough to go around.
You don’t want your guests getting into a fight over the last piece. Nothing wrecks a nice relaxing summer meal like a rhubarb rhubarb. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 large ribs rhubarb, diced (about 4 cups)
1 cup fresh strawberries, halved
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
For the topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat, or all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 tsp salt
dash of cinnamon
4 tbsp cold butter, diced
vanilla ice cream
30 comments:
Once again, your recipe is amazing. I already have the ingredients on the shopping list. The ice cream at the end was just plain old mean.
I love rhubarb, but it's been so hard to find lately.
I'm just so excited that you're a baseball fan! Your Giants aren't doing too bad. Let me see... how did they do against the Mariners? Oh, yeah, they lost 2 out of 3 :) (I think that was a rhubarb)
Your rhubarb crisp looks absolutely delightful!
Jackie
people with oxalate kidney stones should not gorge on rhubabrb or spinach too often. Adding the ice cream supplies calcium which takes care of the oxalic acid so there is no problem, see.
Chef, your rhubarb crisp would have awed my grandma, she only did rhubarb pies
That part at the end was just unnecessary. You owe me a new "drool-less" keyboard, chef! =)
I'm unclear as there appears to be a discrepancy between the way the crisp was baked and the way it was served. It looks as though the serving shown at the end of the video was an individually baked portion. If that is the case, is the baking time the same for individual portions as it would be for the larger, 2-quart version? I don't think it would be, but then, it's your recipe.
no, it was baked as shown, just served in that bowl. you can bake in smaller dishes though, just about the same time, maybe a little less.
i thought the oxalic acid was in the leaves?
Now that looks awesome! Luckily there is some rhubarb in the garden ripe for picking...
I seem to remember that my mom always peels off the rhubarb skin and apparently you didn't. Is there really any need to peel it?
I am so making this. A co-woker just gave me a ton of rhubarb. Can't wait to try this! Thanks!
In the theater (that's THEE-ah-tah), crowd noise is often simulated by having several actors mumble the word "rhubarb" repeatedly.
Get a couple of friends over and give it a try.
So, the baseball use may come from that source, or it just may signify a big mixup.
Here you go Chef,
The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary defines rhubarb as 'a ruckus with the umpire(s)' or 'a fight between players or between the players and fans' and dates the first use in this sense to 1943. The term was popularized by the baseball broadcaster Red Barber, who got it either from Brooklyn-born sportswriter Garry Schumacher or from Tom Meany, another sportswriter, who said he had picked it up in a bar in Brooklyn in the late 1930s. There are a couple of variations on the theory of the Brooklyn origin, some more far-fetched than others (among them, messy rhubarb sandwiches that kids in Greenpoint threw at each other and bitter rhubarb tonic that the loser of a barroom brawl was forced to drink).
I know what I' want to bring to the 4th of July party!
Chef, If I add 1/2 c. blueberries to make this = Red-Whie (ice cream) - and Blue, would the additional berries turn it purple? Any trick to avoiding that result, besides omitting them, that is?
yes, they would blend in when baked, but you could sprinkle them over fresh when serving for color and textural contrast.
Thanks! those are great theories!
Oh my God that looks good. Strawberry rhubarb pie is my most favourite desert in the entire world. You may now have given it a run for the money. Wow that looks good and has sentenced several stalks of rhubarb to an untimely demise. If only the local strawberries were ripe.
I stayed in a catered hall of residence in England when I was there for college and developed a wincing butt cringing hatred for rhubarb which Ive been trying to shake off ever since. I had never eaten anything so sour before and even the chalk-like excuse for custard didnt help much.
Oh wow, I am watching this at 2am and drooling. I first tried rhubarb last month in pie and loved it. Now going to have to try this also. Thanks
My father has always talked of eating raw rhubarb as a child. I just recently learned he did it with an accompanying bowl of sugar.
How much do I <3 you? You not only made one of my favorite deserts, you worked in baseball references, and refer to watching ice cream melt as "meditation".
That looks great, and as always very funny presented. It´s great to follow you presentations!
Made this recipe tonight... it was really good. Only thing I'll do different next time is make sure to use regular oats instead of the instant oats we had. But the rhubarb was perfect! Just the right amount of tart and sweet. Really excellent with the icecream. Thanks Chef John!
I actually LOVE going out in the garden and picking a stalk of rhubarb and munching on it raw!
That's summer to me!
Thanks for a great recipe.
made this today for mother's day. holy-friggin-crazy-delicious! it was the perfect dessert. thanks chef!!
can you make this in a 13x9? what size dish do you suggest?
that will work!
The house I just moved into has a huge rhubarb....bush? Which do you suggest I try to make first, custard pie or crisp? Thanks. Love your site, just found it.
Leslea
JUST harvested a ton of rhubarb from the garden yesterday and thought I'd search on here for a recipe. You didn't fail me! So going to make this today! By the way, when I was a child, I would often grab a stock of rhubarb from our front garden on the way home from school, wash it up and eat it raw, accompanied by a small bowl or glass with brown sugar. Oh yeah!!!
I've made this crisp twice in the past couple weeks, and if Chef will forgive me, I made some tweaks I'd like to recommend:
— I'm from the midwest, and I've always been on the "only rhubarb!" train, but I think I've finally come around to the idea that it benefits from *some* sort of companion to moderate the tartness. I must be getting old. Instead of strawberries, I used a cup of mango cubes (basically one mango's worth). Big thumbs up. The mango added a nice mellow sweetness, as well as a little visual interest. If you try it, this may be a great use for a mango that's not quite ripe enough for eating.
— Speaking of the fruit, I found that in my 2Q baking dish the fruit layer was a bit too shallow. To remedy this, I added an extra cup, and cut it into a mix of big and small chunks. This worked well, and the result was a deeper fruit layer with a bit more texture.
— I threw a pinch of salt into the fruit.
— Last, but not least, I increased the topping by 50%. (I also added a handful of shredded, unsweetened coconut, but I'm not sure it contributed much.)
— After all that, it needed an extra 5-10 minutes in the oven.
Anyway — my way or the Chef's way, this is a super simple and easy dessert. Lovely!
Rhubarb begonia
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