Ginger-Orange Rhubarb Crisp

We have a tiny fridge.  With an even tinier freezer inside.  With a freezer door that won’t stay shut.  We tried to keep ice cream in it, but it just doesn’t work– it is always very soft, and turning the freezer down results in the fridge items freezing.  So yesterday afternoon when I found our ice cream had a strange gooey liquid in the bottom of the container, we admitted defeat and threw the container out.  Unfortunately, that meant no ice cream for the rhubarb crisp in the evening, but plain yoghurt actually complimented it quite nicely.

Someday, I will have a garden with a rhubarb plant.  In the meantime, I am happy to find it at the grocery store.  This crisp is made with a version of my usual fruit crisp topping, with a little inspiration from Allrecipes.com.  I’ve never combined ginger or orange with rhubarb before, but I will certainly do it again– and Gabrielle says she plans on making this recipe someday for her boyfriend, so that must mean it is a pretty good flavour combination!

Ginger-Orange Rhubarb Crisp

(makes 2-4 servings)

2-4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 apple (I used Pink Lady, Granny Smith would work well), cored and chopped (or use all rhubarb)

1/2- 1 tbsp grated ginger

1/2- 1 tbsp grated orange zest

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

topping:

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup quick-oats

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 8 or 9″ square pan or a loaf pan.  In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, apple, orange zest, ginger, white sugar, and the 1 tbsp flour.  Place in pan.  In same bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar, then mix in oats and flour.  Crumble over top of fruit.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until fruit is tender.  Serve warm.

♥

I used approximately 1/2 tbsp of each ginger and orange with 2 cups of rhubarb and one apple, but this is easily adaptable to your taste and the amount of fruit you have on hand.

If you like your fruit mixture juicier you may want to try adding a couple of tablespoons of water, orange juice, or apple sauce.

What do you like to make with rhubarb?