The way the cookie crumbles ...

The onset of winter brings about a craving in me for cloyingly sweet food.. not that I don't crave sweet food all year round :-) The feeling that winter is around, just heightens the craving and also gives one a license for indulgence. The body needs to burn more calories just to stay warm .. right.. if it is wrong, its just not your turn to comment....

Rhubarb has always fascinated me for its simple but elegant look. Masquerading as a posh cousin of the celery, it has that ‘look at me’  attraction about it. I used to wonder why it is sold without the leaves till someone told me that the leaves contain a lot of oxalyic acid which is toxic to human beings. Well that only added to the mystery of rhubarb as far as I was concerned.

The tangy taste of rhubarb is strong when taken raw but when baked into pies or strudels it does give an excellent counterbalance to the sweetness. I started out thinking what could give a good sweet but tangy and chewy end to a winter meal. and of course a sweet dessert which does not involve any eggs. Remembering all the pies, strudels and crumbles consumed at various stages in our travels and parties, here is an attempt at an easy to do rhubarb and orange crumble.

Ingredients:

Rhubarb – 4 stems washed well and dipped in cold water for 30 min

Oranges – 2

Almond crushed/powdered – 250 gms

Brown sugar – 5 tbsp

Powdered or castor sugar – 6 tbsp

Butter – 150gms

Plain flour – 3 tbsp

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Pat dry the rhubarb stems and slice them using a sharp knife into thin cross-sections.  Cut the oranges into half and squeeze the orange juice from them. Now grate the orange rind using a cheese or vegetable grater into fine pieces.

Select a medium sized baking dish ( its best to serve in the dish in which it is bakedJ) and layer the cut rhubarb slices onto the dish. Now spread the castor sugar over  the rhubarb slices.  

Gently pour the orange juice over the rhubarb slices. Now sprinkle the grated orange rind over the mixture. Gently sprinkle the vanilla essence on top  and keep aside.

We have to prepare the crumble mix now.  Take the plain flour onto a mixing bowl. Slice the butter into small chips, over the flour. Now hand-mix the butter and flour together using your fingertips, so that it attains a coarse texture. This may take 5 minutes before it reaches that consistent but coarse feel. Mix the brown sugar into this mixture and add the crushed or powdered almond. Mix this together and enjoy the 'breadcrumby' feel and consistency.

Next step is to prepare the crumble dish and get it ready for baking. Take the baking dish with the rhubarb and orange mixture and gently layer the crumble mix over it. Ensure that the mixture is evenly laid out so that it covers the entire rhubarb/orange mix.

Now preheat the oven to 200 degC and move the prepared crumble dish to the oven.  Let it bake for nearly 45 minutes. By this time the fruit will get cooked well and the crumble mixture bakes to form a nice crust on top. If the crust is too thin or the orange juice plentiful, it may pierce through the crust and run on top as it happened to me. If the crust remains unbroken it looks professional but if the mix runs on top it creates some good patterns .. sweet and tangy art.

Let it cool for a little while but serve this warm and it is a great finish to a winter meal. You can pair it with some sweetened cream or ice-cream to further draw out the sweet and tangy  taste.

Bring on the long winter nights...