spring treats #7: Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp & the farmer's market

 on saturday morning, after sleeping in and listening to the pigeons chat with each other outside of our window (this is a daily occurence. they seem to gossip like it's nobody's business), i woke up and headed to the Provo Farmer's Market. Chin was playing basketball with his buddies, and i found it so peaceful to take a little me-time and head to the market for a little date with myself (although i did miss chin!). 

i had never been there before but had heard great things about the PFM, and i was so pleased. i plan on making it a weekly tradition, and also plan on taking my girlfriends with me to do a little market shopping.

loot i came home with:

delicious, fresh, chewy, soft, did i mention fresh (?) Orange Cranberry Walnut bread.

oh yeah. that. good.

also, i bought handmade earring for two dollars a piece, an herb box with six new herbs for fresh seasoning all summer long, and a bundle of rhubarb.

i'm actually not even sure why i bought the rhubarb. there was the cutest old man selling it, and we stirred up quite a conversation. i couldn't bear to not buy some rhubarb for him, and i decided to put it to good use.

 i wore these shoes to the market. i thought it was appropriate.

for a little side info:

i don't know how i feel about these oxford-style shoes that seem to be all the rage.

i never really thought they were much my style, and i would have never bought them unless i got them for the deal i did.

they were originally $100 at Nordstrom's... but as i browsed through the clearance shoe section i saw them and just glanced to see how much they might be.

to my surprise i saw that they were marked down to $20?!?! huh what?!?!

!!!!! exclamation points galore.

and so they were purchased. for i would not spend $100 on a pair of only mildly cute trendy shoes.

but they're growing on me. and i'm actually quite fond of them now.

ANYWAYS. so this crisp. it is splendid. strawberry and rhubarb has always been one of my favorite combinations, the contrast between the sweet and tart are like a party in my mouth.

plus, there is a distinct citrus tang that is subtle but adds so much to the crisp. i was pleasantly surprised during every bite!

i can't wait to make this again and again this summer.

(also, sorry for the lack of pictures. but it turned out so cute and such a pretty pinkish red color with a delectable golden brown crumble!) 

make this if you want to have eternal happiness from eating too much sugar and butter and fruit. yeah.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

adapted from barefoot contessa.

4 c. fresh rhubarb, diced (5-6 stalks)

4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. orange zest

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 c. fresh squeezed orange juice (about 1 and 1/2 big, ripe oranges)

1 c. flour

1/2 c. lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. oats 

1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp.) butter, cold and diced into small pieces

preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

for the fruit: toss the diced rhubarb and strawberries with the orange zest and 3/4 c. of the sugar (granulated sugar) in a large bowl. in a small bowl, combine cornstarch and orange juice until the cornstarch is dissolved. mix into fruit and sugar mixture. pour the mixture into a 7x11 inch pan. 

for the topping: in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, brown sugar, remaining white sugar, salt, and oats. with mixer on low speed, add the diced butter and mix until the dry ingredients are moist and create crumbles and resemble coarse meal (**NOTE: you could do this with a pastry cutter or your hands if you're without a mixer!). 

sprinkle the crumble over the fruit mixture, covering the fruit completely.

bake for one hour until the fruit is bubbly and crumble is golden brown.

serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

enjoy!