Sweet Sunday and a Happy Father’s Day!

 

 

Thanks Dad.  Really.  For your laughter, your silliness and your sweetness.  Thank you for teaching my children the value of just letting loose and being who they really want to be.  Thank you for engaging me in a really good argument every now and again.  Not a serious one, just one to prove to you that I can be witty and have a reason behind my beliefs too.  Thank you for always looking out for me and letting me still be your little girl.

I brought home from the farmer’s market a pound of strawberries and a pound of rhubarb and I had the perfect vessel to carry them.  Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.  I found this delicious, waftable recipe in the “Back in the Day Bakery” cookbook.  This cookbook has become one of the mainstays in my library.  If I am looking for something sweet and tasty and something a little “down home”, I turn to this book.  I love the vintage dishes Cheryl and Griffeth Day (authors) use to present the dishes.  Makes me feel like home or a home where I would like to go.

 

I made this dessert with the intention of having my father enjoy it on Father’s Day when he came over for dinner.  I don’t think it’s going to make until then.  The crust on this crisp is so yummy!  It tastes like I baked an oatmeal cookie on top of the gooey filling.  If no one was watching I would pick just the topping off.  Ok, so the filling is absolutely fabulous too!  Living in Michigan gives me the pleasure of having access to fresh strawberries that are at their peek in June.  Strawberries from Michigan are the sweetest, tastiest, berries anywhere.  For real.

Please enjoy this on Father’s Day or any day for that matter.  Tell your dads and granddads how much you appreciate them.  To my husband as well, thank you.  For being a wonderful dad.

Here is a link for another recipe from the “Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook”:

http://sara826-itstartedwithone.blogspot.com/2013/02/sweet-sundays-cherry-biscones.html

 

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

 

For the topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cubed

1 tablespoon of applesauce

 

For the filling:

2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered

4 cups rhubarb peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/4 cups turbinado sugar or the same in granulated sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Butter a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.

3.  To make the topping:  In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, cornmeal, salt butter and applesauce with a fork until completely blended.  You want it to look like big crumbs.  Set aside.

 

4.  To make the filling:  In another medium bowl, combine the strawberries and rhubarb with the turbinado sugar, flour and cornstarch, stirring to coat the fruit.

5.  Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared pie plate. 

6.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling.

7.  Place the crisp in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly around the edges and the topping is golden brown. 

8.  Let cool for 45 minutes before digging in.  The filling is like molten lava and you don’t want to burn your tongue.  Serve warm or room temperature with ice cream if you wish.  I really enjoy the crisp the next day cold from the refrigerator.