The month of May in Connecticut provides us with some of the most delicious produce of the year. One of our local farms was recently picking rhubarb, which serves as a reminder to relish every moment of spring, because summer is right around the corner.   

This is my mother’s recipe, which can be modified for almost any fruit. When I was growing up, she would use blueberries in the summer and apples in the fall.  
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp 

Ingredients 

Filling:  
1 lb. rhubarb diced  

1/4 cup sugar 

1/2 lb. organic strawberries 
1/8 cup vanilla sugar 
Zest of 1/2 lemon 
Topping: 
1 cup AP flour 
1/2 cup quick rolled oats (optional for texture, not original to mom’s recipe) 
1/4 cup vanilla sugar 
1 tsp. baking powder 
1/2 tsp. salt 
1/4 tsp. cinnamon 
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg 
1 unbeaten egg 

Up to 1/3 cup melted butter 

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. 

1. Toss the rhubarb with 1/4 cup of sugar, stirring occasionally while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Before you add it to the other fruit, drain the excess liquid to pull out some of the bitterness. 

1. Melt butter and set aside. 

1. Mix drained rhubarb and strawberries with vanilla sugar and lemon zest in 1.5 qt. baking dish, or mix in bowl and place into 4-6 individual baking cups. 

1. Mix all topping ingredients in a small bowl, mixing in the egg last. 

1. Add the topping to the top of the fruit in baking dish. 

1. Pour melted butter evenly over topping. 

1. Bake for about 45 minutes, until GBD (CIA chefs’ acronym for Golden Brown and Delicious). Let cool about 15-20 minutes, and enjoy topped with ice cream or whipped cream. 

Visit my website, homeawaycafe.com to learn how to make vanilla sugar and to find out why buying local/or organic produce is so important! 

Julianne Parkis is a Danbury mom, a chef trained at The Culinary Institute of America, and a certified nutrition consultant. For recipes and health tips, visit her website, homeawaycafe.com. You can email her at homeawaycafe@gmail.com.