In the second April installment of #BakingWithBeth, the all things California theme continues and we’re going with a farmers market special – rhubarb and strawberry almond crumble bars. California has an abundance of produce and farmers markets, so I wanted to highlight all that natural goodness.
The state nut is the almond so it seemed nice to give that delicious little treat a shout out as well with an almond crust and crumble to top the rhubarb and strawberry bars.
It’s the very beginning of rhubarb season, so they’re popping up more and more at farmers markets. They don’t seem to be in groceries stores quite yet, but I imagine you’ll start seeing them more regularly in the coming weeks. For this recipe, I made a trip to the Santa Monica Farmers Market on 2nd to buy rhubarb.
Full disclosure, I was planning on using strawberries from Costco (gasp!) because the pricing can’t be beat. I mean, I fund this entire blog myself as I’m building my own pastry catering business, so I look for good savings. However, on my rhubarb hunt, I passed by the Harry’s Berries stand and sampled one of their gaviota varietals. I was a goner. Gaviotas are a low acid, SUPER sweet strawberries that are amazing! Next thing I know, I’m handing over $8 for a pint of strawberries. They’re incredible! And I suppose worth it for a delicious produce splurge. I purchased my rhubarb and left the market before I was tempted with anything else.
The almond crust and crumble is one that I adapted from my LA days in the restaurant world. I didn’t have the exact recipe on hand so I had to go a little bit off memory, a little bit off just trying. 🙂 I used the same mix for the crust and crumble and still had leftovers. In the future, I’d look to reduced the quantities by 20%, but if you’re using a larger pan/sheet tray, you might use it all. Also, the almond crumble makes for a nice snack. Healthy, maybe not, but delicious.
March was everything pi(e)! Week nine/chocolate chip cookie pie with dulce de leche, week ten/birthday mint chocolate chip grasshopper pie, a bonus Pi Day pizza pie, week eleven/Guinness Cottage Pie, and week twelve/cherry hand pies.
April is dedicated to California-inspired recipes started with a week thirteen/chocolate avocado mousse.
Have y’all baked with rhubarb before? Or baked something using the delicious rhubarb and strawberry combo?
In a mixing bowl, mix all dry ingredients on low until combined. Add in cubed, cold butter and mix on low until combined and mixture is pea-like pieces. If necessary, rub together with your hands to finish incorporating butter.
For the crust, take 260 grams of crumble and push down into a glass pyrex dish until the bottom is evenly covered (about a 1/2 inch thick).
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 14-17 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly crisp. Let cool.
On a sheet pan, evenly spread out the remaining mixture. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. Every 5 minutes, toss mixture around using a pallet knife. Making sure mixture is not too sandy, and not too thick to make 'rocks'. Tossing every 5 minutes will help evenly brown mixture. Once mixture is golden brown and crispy, remove from oven. Let cool.
Place fresh chopped rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice and zest in a large sauce pan and cook over a medium heat until the natural juices are released and mixture begins to boil (approx 5-7 minutes).
In a small bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Once rhubarb and strawberries begin to boil, add sugar and cornstarch mixture.
Cook over a medium low heat until mixture begins to thicken and reaches 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Stirring occasionally to make sure mixture at the bottom doesn't burn. Approximately 20-25 minutes.
Once thickened and reached 220 degrees, remove from heat and let cool.
Evenly spread rhubarb and strawberry jam over almond crust. Top with crumble. Bake at 350 degrees for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Let cool. Cut into bars. Serve and enjoy!
For the left over almond crumble, you can freeze it for up to a month to use on other recipes, or reduce the recipe to make less. It's the perfect recipe to use on top of any fruit cobbler!
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