Rhubarb Crisp

If you approach baking with rhubarb by automatically reaching for a pint of fresh strawberries, consider this rhubarb crisp recipe a wake-up call: the tart, flavorful stalks can stand on their own.

Fresh rhubarb is a unique ingredient in the world of fruity spring desserts. For one, it’s actually a vegetable—the stalk of a perennial plant—and for another, it’s quite sour. But when cooked with something sweet (sugar, usually), it makes for an ideal dessert filling. If it’s not rhubarb season, which in the US is a relatively short window in spring, look for quick-frozen rhubarb that’s been pre-diced, and don’t thaw it before assembling the crisp.

The best rhubarb desserts accentuate the pretty pink stalks with complementary flavors highlighting rhubarb’s floral tang—this recipe calls on spicy candied ginger and fragrant orange zest. The buttery, golden brown crumb topping is made with a combination of flour, old-fashioned oats, pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon, but you can certainly leave out the nuts if needed. Serve warm (or at room temperature), topped with crème fraîche to accentuate that tang even more, or go classic with a mound of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This really is one of the simplest dessert recipes you’ll ever find, but if you just can’t bear to let the rhubarb go it alone, substitute up to half the amount by weight with blueberries, raspberries, or (yes) halved or quartered strawberries—or head over to our favorite strawberry rhubarb pie recipe for a different approach.