Friday, August 13, 2010

Strawberry and rhubarb crumble



Don't you love going to the markets and picking up fresh produce? I could live in Queen Vic Market in Melbourne - it has the most amazing array of all kinds of foods, and other things that defy categorisation. I am very shortly doing a shop and cook tour through the market to learn more about its hidden secrets, and I cannot wait.

During my last visit to the market, I bought some gorgeous ruby red rhubarb. Unfortunately, it became a little broken and sad before I got it home because I lost my purse at the market, and the poor old rhubarb got thrown around while I looked for the purse in a mad panic. I was very lucky - a nice lady found my purse and handed it in to a market staff member, who brought it into the office while I was shakily trying to cancel my cards. I only ended up having to cancel one card, and I got my purse back intact. One of the joys of having a blog is that I can get a message out there, so I want to say a big THANK YOU to the anonymous lady who found my purse at Queen Vic Market a couple of weeks ago and handed it in - you have restored my faith in human nature, and I wish I knew who you were so that I could thank you properly.

Back to the rhubarb ... I also had some strawberries living in my fridge that were getting a little long in the tooth, so I was keen to find a recipe that used both rhubarb and strawberries. Matthew Evans, a well known Australian food writer who left the big smoke of Sydney to start his own farm in Tasmania and televised it, came to my rescue. He has written a marvellous book called The Real Food Companion, which aims to teach us how to source, cook and eat "real" food. It is divided into ingredients, and has wonderful prose that accompanies each chapter, and a short paragraph accompanying each recipe. In an ideal world, I would love to do exactly what Matthew has done, but I just don't think I have the skills. However, I love his book, and I can at least make some of his wonderful recipes.

In The Real Food Companion, there is a recipe for strawberry and rhubarb crumble - exactly what I was looking for! The poor battered rhubarb and the ageing strawberries were given a new lease of life courtesy of this wonderful recipe. The end result is pictured at the top of this post - don't you just love the rich red juice staining the crumble topping? Matthew used rosewater geraniums to flavour his crumble; I do not have those, so I just used rosewater.

To make this crumble, you will need (with my adaptations):

200g plain flour
120g cold butter, cut into small pieces
120g sugar
250g rhubarb, cut into small pieces (approx 5cm long)
250g strawberries, hulled and halved
3-4 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon rosewater

The first job is to make the crumble. For this, put the flour and sugar into a medium bowl, and rub in the butter until you get a crumb-like consistency. Refrigerate the mixture for half an hour.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the fruit with the honey and vanilla until well combined, then press it into a greased 25cm square cake or pie pan. Sprinkle the rosewater over the top of the fruit:



Doesn't that look great?


Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Sprinkle the crumble over the top of the fruit, then bake the crumble in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the crumble is golden brown on top.

Serve with cream, icecream or custard. Yum!!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your crumble looks fabulous. Just the thing for some not-so-perfect fruit. Wonderful news about your purse! There are some honest people out there!

Finla said...

I love crumble and this just looks so so summery and delcious.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Oh I'm so gad you got your wallet back. Isn't that the worst when you lose it and you have to cancel everything. I was at the Queen Vic markets a couple of months ago and you guys have access to some really amazing stuff! :)

Johanna GGG said...

snap! it must have been strawberry and rhubarb crumble weekend - I even found my fruit at the vic market - the strawberries were so cheap I had to buy them - I love the idea of adding rosewater - must try that with a crumble soon!

glad you found your purse - I am sure having it safe at home made the crumble taste even better

margot said...

That looks fantastic! Rhubarb season is way too short, it's fun to bake with. I'm happy you got your purse back without too much hassle, how stressful.

Enjoy the market tour!

Unknown said...

The rhubarb and the strawberries together look so intensely red. I bet they were full of flavour.
Have a wonderful weekend ahead daaaaahling.
*kisses* HH

The Blonde Duck said...

I've never had rhubarb.

Jennifer said...

It's so wonderful that you got your purse back!

That crumble looks divine.

Barbara Bakes said...

Strawberry and rhubarb is a fabulous combination. So glad you found your purse. I hate that panicked feeling.

Chef Bee said...

Went to the farmers market yesterday and though we are at the end of summer and some things are out of season, it is still fun. Dish looks great.

Plan B

The Caked Crusader said...

I adore rhubarb so this one grabbed my attention - looks wonderful!

The Blonde Duck said...

I hope you have a magical Monday!

Cakelaw said...

Hi Duckie, not quite magical, but thanks for your well wishes.