I’ve been very focused on all things green at the farmers market for the past month. Whenever I empty the contents of my bag onto the kitchen counter, there is a pile of leaves and stalks from ramps to asparagus to scallions. The growing season is very short in Chicago, so we have yet to see a lot of color other than rhubarb.

I finally bought a pound of those hot pink stalks, and I baked a strawberry & rhubarb almond crumble. I had a gluten-free guest, so I reworked my usual topping recipe eliminating flour and using ground almonds instead. Served warm with vanilla ice cream, everyone loved this nutty, sweet and tart dessert.

Strawberry & Rhubarb Almond Crumble 

Serves 6
For crumble
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled & cubed, plus more for greasing baking dish

For filling
12 ounces strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 pound rhubarb, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with butter.

For the crumble, in a medium bowl, combine the oats, ground almonds, sugar and salt. Rub the butter into the mixture creating small clumps.

For the filling, in a large bowl, combine the strawberries and rhubarb. Toss the fruit with the sugar, ground almonds, salt and vanilla extract. Spread the filling into the prepared baking dish and top with the crumble.

Bake for 45 minutes until the crumble is golden brown and bubbling. Cool for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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