Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

We here at Yankee love New England–themed cookbooks, so it’s no surprise we were delighted to receive a copy of A Little Taste of Cape Cod, a new book by former Yankee food editor Annie Copps. It offers a window into the diverse flavors of Cape cooking, with 30 recipes ranging from Cape Codder cocktails and smoked bluefish spread to Portuguese kale soup and baby back ribs with cranberry barbecue sauce. Part of a larger series of regional American books by Blue Streak Press, A Little Taste of Cape Cod reminds us of the power of cookbooks to transport readers to their favorite corners of the world. Now that rhubarb is popping up in our gardens, and local strawberries are right around the corner, we decided to make Annie’s recipe for a strawberry-rhubarb crumble, which she enriches with almonds, cinnamon, and lemon. If you haven’t yet tried combining cinnamon and strawberries before, you’re in for a treat. The flavors complement each other so well, you may find yourself adding a shake of cinnamon to strawberry pies and shortcakes, too.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

Annie writes, “With its elephant-ear leaves and gem-red stalks, rhubarb is a welcome and often whimsical sight, and grows easily and prolifically in many Cape Cod gardens. It can be too tart on its own, but famously paired with its best friend, the strawberry, rhubarb gets tamed enough to shine. In this crumble, a double dose of almond and lots of cinnamon take it over the top.”Total time: 1 hour Hands-on time: 20 minutes Yield: 8 servings

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375º. In a medium bowl, combine the rhubarb with 1/2 cup of the dark brown sugar; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the strawberries with the remaining 1/2 cup dark brown sugar; set aside. After about 10 minutes, drain and discard any rhubarb juice that has accumulated in the bowl, and add the rhubarb to the strawberries. Add the cornstarch, lemon juice, and almond extract to the fruit, and stir gently until thoroughly mixed. Transfer the fruit mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread in an even layer. In another bowl, combine the butter, light brown sugar, flour, oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, toss until large (2-inch) clumps of dough form. Evenly distribute the clumps of dough on top of the fruit mixture. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.