Strawberries are all over the place right now and so is Rhubarb.  I picked both up this past weekend and finally decided to make some crisp pie out of it.  My husband is a big fan of Rhubarb; so he was excited about me making this.  I love the tartness of the rhubarb, it just works so well with strawberries.  The crispy brown sugar top makes it that much better.  If you want as soon as it comes out of the oven put 2 scoops of ice cream in a bowl and share with your loved one (or just by yourself).  I hope you Enjoy!

Rhubarb is usually considered to be a vegetable, But in the United States, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit, it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. A side effect was a reduction on imported rhubarb tariffs, as tariffs were higher for vegetables than fruits (source: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh rhubarb, diced (2 to 3 stalks)

4 cups fresh strawberries, cleaned and chopped

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon of orange zest

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup juice of an orange

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup rolled or quick oatmeal

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

Vanilla ice cream or Whip Cream, optional

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Start with the fruit.  Toss the rhubarb, strawberries, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the orange zest together in a large bowl.  In a measuring cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the orange juice and then mix it into the fruit. Pour the mixture into a pie dish.

For the topping, in a food processor, combine the flour, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the brown sugar, salt and oatmeal. Pulse to combine.  Add the diced butter and mix until the dry ingredients are moist and the mixture is in crumbles (if the mixture is too dry add a tablespoon of water).  Sprinkle the topping over the fruit, covering it completely, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until it is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Enjoy with some ice cream or Whip Cream.