A Very Sweet Story...About A Crisp!

The flavor on this crisp has a story to tell, a very sweet story! Author Susie Middleton, who wrote Fresh From The Farm, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her Gingery Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp with Brown Sugar Pecan Topping.  She says it's sweet and tangy with a very crunchy topping. Susie told Tonia the crisp gets its from two secret ingredients—crystallized ginger and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Cook the crisp until the topping is plenty golden (about 45 minutes)—enough time to let the fruit juices reduce and thicken a bit, too. This looks pretty in a 10-inch quiche pan, but any 2-quart baking dish will work. Great warm with vanilla ice cream, this crisp is pretty tasty leftover for breakfast, too.

Serves 6

For the topping

8 tablespoons unsalted
butter, softened, plus
more for the baking dish

1 cup unbleached
all-purpose flour

1⁄4 cup finely chopped
toasted pecans

1⁄2 cup light brown sugar

1⁄2 cup regular oats

1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄8 teaspoon
ground cinnamon

1⁄8 teaspoon ground ginger

For the filling

21⁄2 cups hulled, quartered strawberries

21⁄2 cups thick-sliced
rhubarb stalks (cut 1⁄2 inch thick; about 10 ounces)

1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

2 teaspoons pure
vanilla extract

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt

For serving

Vanilla ice cream or
frozen yogurt, or heavy
cream (optional)


Heat the oven to 350°F. Rub a shallow 2-quart baking dish or large ceramic quiche dish all over with a little butter. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the crisp topping and mix together with your fingers until well combined into large “crumbs.”

In a large mixing bowl, combine the filling ingredients and mix thoroughly. Arrange the filling mixture in the baking dish and top evenly with the topping mixture. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may have a little leftover topping. Freeze it for another use.)

Bake the crisp until the topping is firm and golden, about 45 minutes. (The juices will have been bubbling around the edges for a bit.) Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes and serve warm, alone or with ice cream, frozen yogurt, or heavy cream.