Blackberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe With Picture

A Fruit Crisp is a delicious muddle of warm baked fruit and sweet crunchy streusel. It is considered a simple, old fashioned dessert as it has been around for well over a century. In fact, although written recipes started to appear in the late 19th century, food historians believe fruit crisps were being made by housewives well before that time. The theory is that women didn't bother to write down crisp recipes because they thought they were so easy that everyone just knew, instinctively, how to make them.

So let's begin. A fruit crisp can be made with a variety of fruits. Apples are especially popular, but peaches, nectarines, pears, plums, berries, and rhubarb are also wonderful. Many recipes call for combining two fruits; for example, apples and blackberries, peaches and raspberries, and nectarines and blueberries, to name a few. For this recipe I have combined rhubarb (the pie plant) with blackberries. I know that rhubarb is usually paired with strawberries or raspberries, but when I saw this combination in Wayne Harley Brachman's "American Desserts", I just couldn't resist trying it. And I wasn't disappointed.

Once you have the fruit, then it needs to be sweetened with just enough sugar to offset its tart flavor, and thickened with just a little cornstarch (corn flour), as you still want some juices to pour over the top of your crisp. Recipes often call for adding a little extra liquid, and this is needed if the fruit you have chosen does not release enough of its own juices during baking. The streusel-like topping that is spread over the fruit is a mixture of flour, sugar, spices, butter, and rolled oats. As it bakes it becomes golden brown, crisp, and crunchy which makes a nice contrast to the soft fruit. Crisps can be baked in one large pie pan or in individual serving dishes. For this recipe I have baked the crisp in one large pan as I like to scoop out a large helping, place it in a pretty bowl, and have this wonderful mess of lovely fruit all mixed in with the topping. This dessert is at its best when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick cooking spray, a 9 inch (23 cm) deep dish pie plate or an 8 x 8 x 2 inch (20 x 20 x 5 cm) baking dish.

For Topping: Place all the topping ingredients (flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, butter, and oats) in a food processor and process until the mixture is crumbly (looks like coarse meal) and there are no large pieces of butter visible. (This can also be done in a large bowl with a pastry blender, two knives or your fingertips.)

For Filling: Place the rhubarb and blackberries in a large bowl and toss with the brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the orange (or apple) juice, cornstarch (corn flour) and vanilla. Add this mixture to the rhubarb mixture and toss to coat. Transfer the fruit to your baking dish and sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the fruit. Bake for approximately 30-35 or until the topping is crisp, golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat before serving.

Makes 4 - 5 servings.

Sources:

Brachman, Wayne Harley. 'American Desserts'. Clarkson Potter/Publishers. New York: 2003.

Sax, Richard. 'Classic Home Desserts'. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York: 1994.

Topping:

1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup (45 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats

Filling:

1 pound (454 grams) fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) slices

2 cups fresh blackberries or raspberries

1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar

1/3 cup (80 ml) orange or apple juice

1 tablespoon (10 grams) cornstarch (corn flour)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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