Blueberry-Rhubarb Crisp
A relative of summertime strawberry-rhubarb desserts, this blueberry-rhubarb crisp (aka “bluebarb”) takes advantage of two of New England’s finest crops.
By Katherine Keenan|Jun 09 2022|
Blueberry-Rhubarb "Bluebarb" Crisp
Photo Credit: Katherine KeenanFans of the quintessential spring combination of strawberry and rhubarb will love this recipe for blueberry-rhubarb or “bluebarb” crisp. Like strawberry and rhubarb, blueberry and rhubarb make for a stellar combination since the sweetness of the blueberries and the tartness of the rhubarb balance each other out. Many pair this spring stalk with strawberries since both tend to be in season at the same time, but since frozen wild Maine blueberries can be found in most grocery stores, this recipe helps take advantage of the earlier end of rhubarb season before strawberries are readily available. Don’t defrost the blueberries before making blueberry-rhubarb crisp — since rhubarb cooks slower than the blueberries the cooking times will even out thanks to the frozen fruit.
Yield
8
For the Crisp
Ingredients
2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and set a rack to the middle position. In a large bowl, toss together the chopped rhubarb, frozen blueberries, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Pour berry mixture into a 9×13 baking pan.
Oatmeal Crumble Topping
Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup melted butter
Instructions
Mix together the flour, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, chopped walnuts, and salt. Mix in the melted butter until small clumps form, then sprinkle the oat mixture on top of the berry mixture. Bake until browned and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
I luv, luv, luv anything with rhubarb. Is there a rhubarb cookbook you can recommend ?Blessings????Jackie????
Jackie, yes there are. I googled rhubarb cookbooks and there are a number of them.
This sounds amazing, but one of us has a cinnamon allergy. I wonder if it’d be okay to just omit it? Suggestions for an alternative? Nutmeg is my go-to, but would change the flavor too much!
Hi Jeanne! I imagine nutmeg would work fine, but would suggest using half the amount, i.e. 1/4 tsp. in the fruit mixture and 1/4 tsp. in the topping. Happy baking!
You might also try allspice to replace the cinnamon.
Jackie, I’m with you in the rhubarb love department! I have 6 packages of it sitting on my counter as we speak, waiting for me to cut up and freeze. But first, there’s going to be fresh rhubarb (no adulteration by strawberries, please!) pie.
Yum..gonna try this. Rhubarb-cherry crisp is sooo good, too!
My favorite rhubarb recipe is still my grandmother’s Rhubarb custard pie with a lattice top.
Also love rhubarb..made a rhubarb brioche bread pudding that was outstanding.
I just made this using fresh blueberries and rhubarb. Since I didn’t have walnuts, I used chopped pecans. It is killer good so much so that if I’m not careful, I’ll be saying goodbye to the size 30 jeans!
This sounds good, but the two fruits are not even remotely in season at the same time.
Very versatile recipe! I used the fruits I had which included rhubarb, strawberries, cherries and an apple with a scrape of fresh lemon, orange zest and bit of vanilla. The followed the recipe for crisp itself as written, it came out great; not too mushy, soggy or sickeningly sweet. I’d keep the recipe for future use.