As I was shopping for produce at my local branch of Super King, I spied a stack of ruby rhubarb stalks out of the corner of my eye. On impulse, I grabbed a bag and quickly filled it with a half dozen stems. I had no clue at the moment what would become of this seasonal booty, but I was excited about the possibility of a pie, a crumble, or maybe even jam.
Additionally, I was stoked about working with rhubarb from prep to plate. I have consumed plenty of the stuff over the years, but never cooked with it in my kitchen. I find that working with a raw ingredient yields invaluable insights that mere eating cannot provide. Like, I had no idea that unadulterated rhubarb tasted so wonderfully snappy and tart! It sort of reminded me of a fruitier upright elephant ear.
After coming home from the grocery store and going through my cookbooks, food magazines, and various web resources, I settled on this rhubarb and raspberry crostata recipe from Karen Demasco of Locanda Verde in New York City. It appeared in last month’s Bon Appétit and received rave reviews from those who had made it—three-and-a-half “forks” to be exact.
Both the dough and the filling came together smoothly and easily, and the finished crostata brought a great balance of flavors. The crust was a buttery, nutty, and tender blend, while the filling didn’t drown the fruit in unnecessary sugar. The Astronomer and I both appreciated how the natural flavors of the raspberries and rhubarb shone through.
I love it when unplanned market purchases turn out so nicely.
For crust
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
For filling
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 4 cups 1/2″-thick slices rhubarb, approximately 6 stalks
- 1 6 ounce container fresh raspberries
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Turbinado sugar
Make crust
Combine both flours, sugar, and salt in a processor; blend for 5 seconds. Add butter; pulse until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. Whisk egg and milk in a small bowl to blend; add to processor and pulse until moist clumps form.
Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill at least 1 1/2 hours. The crust can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.
