Recipe for Harvest Crumble

Southern Ontario's mild winter and warm, early spring has brought a bumper crop of rhubarb to my garden. Rhubarb has the best flavour when picked early in it's growing season. As the summer comes the fruit develops a strong tartness that makes it less pleasant to eat.

The tartness can be masked by mixing the rhubarb with other fruits. I came across a recipe for a delicious mixed fruit crumble based on rhubarb. I have made this recipe a couple of times already. It is simple, quick to make and very tasty indeed. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

• Freshly cut rhubarb
• Pears
• Dried Prunes
• Sultanas
• Pecans
• Sugar
• Flour
• Oatmeal
• Vegetable oil

Preparation
Fruit Filling:

• Chop the rhubarb into short pieces and cook very gently until just tender. There is no need to add water, just place the rhubarb directly in a saucepan and if gentle heat is applied, the rhubarb will cook in its own juices
• Dice the pears and prunes and add to the partially cooked rhubarb along with the sultanas
• Crush the pecans with a rolling pin and add to the fruit mix along with some sugar to taste

Crumble:

• Mix flour and rolled oats (e.g. Scott's Porage Oats or McCanns Quick Cooking Oatmeal) in the proportion of 2 parts flour to one part oatmeal
• Add sugar, Lyles Golden Syrup or your choice of sweetener
• Stir in vegetable oil a little at a time until the mixture forms small clumps
• Sprinkle the crumble mix over the fruit filling and bake at 400F until the top is golden (about 45 minutes in my oven)

John's Notes
I have not given any quantities because the recipe is very adaptable to personal taste. My fruit filling contained about one half rhubarb. The dish can be served hot or cold, with or without custard or cream. The prunes add a richness to the flavour and have a well-known health benefit as well. For that reason you can eat this dessert without any feeling of guilt because it is good for you, oh, and it tastes good too.

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