Sensational Strawberries

If early summer had a flavour, I vote for it being strawberry. Way more flavourful than the strawberries on steroids from California, now is the time to find a local pick-your-own and get your hands dirty.

The only fruit that dares to bare its seeds on the outside. A mere cup of these ruby-red gems delivers more than days worth of vitamin C, 3 grams of fibre plus potent antioxidants called anthocyanins that lend them their flushed appearance. According to a recent study in the British Journal of Nutrition, polyphenol compounds in berries can reduce the spike in blood sugar following a meal which may help lower diabetes and heart disease risk. More reason to find a place for strawberries in all your meals, snacks and desserts like the crisp below.

Strawberries freeze very well, so load up know and have extra on hand when they go out of season. To freeze, wash the whole berries and then remove the leafy hats on top (without the stems, the berries can become waterlogged), and pat dry. Spread the berries, whole or sliced, out on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer to a sealable freezer bag. If you just toss strawberries in a bag and freeze without first freezing them individually you’ll end up with a huge brick of red ice.

For this recipe, I used a cast-iron skillet because it’s a cool way to make crisp. But you can make this with a cake pan just as well. To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free oats and flour such as brown rice, bean, coconut or quinoa.

Over at Muffin Tin Mania, I have a coconut strawberry muffin recipe you should check out. 

Cast-Iron Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Topping
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour of choice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
5 tablespoons neutral tasting oil

Filling
2 cups sliced rhubarb
2 cups sliced strawberries
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup raisins or dried currants
2 tablespoons flour of choice
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine oats, almonds, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and cardamom in a medium bowl. Drizzle with oil and stir until evenly moist. In a separate bowl, combine fruit, maple syrup, raisins, flour, lemon juice and ginger and mix well. Transfer the fruit mixture to a 9-inch cast iron skillet and spread out evenly. 

 












Spread the oat topping over the fruit mixture.

Bake until the rhubarb is tender and the topping is golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it.

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