Rhubarb Crisp

Crisp, crumble, cobbler: what's in a name?

For this dessert, I didn't want to fuss with a pie crust, but did want some oats involved. My trouble revolved around what to search for: which name included oats? Luckily, I found a helpful article on Gourmet.com that articulates the differences. The answer: crisp is the American name for a fruit dessert with a crumbly topping that often includes oats. (Crumble is its British equivalent.) Upon finding this information, I was able to get to work.


I hope you enjoy what I consider to be a perfect spring dessert: the tartness of rhubarb is scaled down during the baking process (and the addition of sugar, of course). The result is a somewhat messy but sweet crisp with only a bit of bite.

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes.

Filling Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/4" slices
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

Topping Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, cut into small pieces
• more cinnamon for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix filling ingredients together (rhubarb, sugar, flour, vanilla, and spices). Pour filling into 13x9 dish.
3. In another bowl, mix topping ingredients (flour, oats, and butter). Using your fingers, squish the butter into the flour/oats until it is spread throughout.
4. Pour oat mixture on top of rhubarb filling. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.