There is something magical about the combination of strawberries and rhubarb. I recently went out for dinner and had a strawberry, rhubarb and ginger mocktail which was truly sensational. Strawberry and rhubarb jam is my all time favorite jam. A couple of months ago I made a stupendous strawberry and rhubarb pie to take to a friends place that was like – wow! You can’t beat strawberry and rhubarb… anything. The thing about syrup, jam and pie though is they all require quite a bit of effort and forethought to get to the finish line. With this crumble you can throw it together in about fifteen minutes, pop it in the oven for another forty minutes and there you have it – strawberry and rhubarb crumble bubbling with juicy, ruby red nectar. Pure magical cooking alchemy. Serve it with vanilla ice-cream or thick cream drizzled with some of your most fragrant honey. Next time you see a bunch of rhubarb grab it. I used fresh strawberries because they’re good and cheap at the moment but frozen strawberries work just as well. This makes a nice big crumble so bake it for some friends. Don’t wait for dinner to enjoy this, make it for a special afternoon tea treat , it’s unbelievably lush and delicious for something so simple.
Matt Moran’s strawberry and rhubarb crumble
Serves 6-8 people
- 1 bunch of rhubarb, cut into 3 cm pieces
- 500 grams of strawberries, hulled (fresh or frozen)
- Finely grate zest of one lemon or half an orange
- 200 grams of unsalted butter diced , softened
- 1 2/3 (250 grams) cups of plain flour
- 2/3 ( 60 grams) cup rolled oats
- 1 1/3 cups (295 grams) caster sugar
- Double cream swirled with honey or vanilla ice-cream, to serve
- Preheat oven to 18o˚C. Mix together rhubarb, strawberries, lemon zest and 2/3 cup (100grams) caster sugar in a medium sized saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes until rhubarb softens and collapses.
- Make crumble: Mix together flour, oats and remaining 1 cup of sugar in a bowl. Rub diced butter roughly through flour mix with your hands to form a chunky crumble.
- Transfer rhubarb mixture to a large (23cm /9 inch) deep pie plate and place on a baking tray to catch any juices. Cover with crumble and bake for 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 200˚C and bake for another 20 minutes until crumble is golden and crunchy.
- Serve warm with honeyed double cream or vanilla ice-cream
The Back Yard Lemon Tree 
I love that crimson colour! Rhubarb and strawberries are so great together.
What a great use of seasonal fruit Elizabeth. Looks amazing.