Dad Wants Dessert

Triple Almond Raspberry-Rhubarb Crumble

End your Dad’s Day celebration on a sweet note with an old-fashioned “crumble.” A crumble isn’t fancy, it’s good. The secret is to serve it in fancy dishes.

Surely you’ve buried some heirloom dishes in a dusty cabinet that are begging for a place at the table. I used my Nana Pearl’s pink stemware. She loved rhubarb and would be thrilled her dishes were getting some love.  

Making a “crumble” is as easy as pie…rather it’s easier than pie. Turn this recipe over to a child or novice baker and, with a little supervision, you have a dessert any dad would love.

I thought strawberries were best buddies for rhubarb, until I made this with raspberries. Since raspberries pair well with almonds, I updated the typical oat topping by adding almond paste, ground almonds, (almond meal or flour) and salted Marcona almonds.  If someone at your table is gluten-free, you’re covered. If you need a vegan dessert, replace the butter with extra virgin coconut oil or almond oil.

And don’t forget instant tapioca, my favorite thickener for sparkling, saucy summer fruit desserts. The trick is to let it soften with the fruit and sugar for a few minutes (while making the crumble topping) before baking.

Super dads need super foods. Oats, rich in soluble fiber, are heart healthy and almonds offer healthy fats, fiber and protein.

Red raspberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber and manganese. They contain several potent phytochemicals that have antioxidant and other properties to promote heart and brain health, guard against inflammation and cancer. These include the flavanol quercetin, anthocyanin pigments that give the berries color, and ellagic acid which fights cancer in three ways. (1,2,3,4,5.6)

Fresh raspberries are wonderful as snacks, in smoothies, salads and such – but for Father’s Day, Dad deserves dessert.  

Triple-Almond Raspberry-Rhubarb Crumble

Serves 6-8

Raspberry-Rhubarb Filling:

1 ½ pounds rhubarb, ends trimmed and stalks cut crosswise into ¾-inch pieces

2 cups fresh red raspberries

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (raw, or coconut OK)

2 tablespoons instant tapioca

¾ teaspoon orange zest

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground cardamom

Pinch of salt

Three-Almond Crumble:

2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) almond paste, crumbled

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up

½ cup almond meal or flour

¼ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup salted Marcona almonds

½ cup rolled oats

1. For Filling, in large bowl combine rhubarb, raspberries, sugar, tapioca, zest, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.  Set aside for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, to soften tapioca.
2. Preheat oven to 375° F.
3. For topping, in bowl of food processor, combine almond paste, butter, almond meal and sugar. Pulse until blended.  Add almonds. Pulse until chopped. Add oats and pulse once or twice.
4. Spoon Filling into a 6 cup shallow baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Sprinkle with Almond Crisp Topping.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbling and rhubarb is tender, covering with foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning.
6. Serve warm or cool with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream,

References

1. Foods That Fight Cancer: Berries. American Institute for Cancer Research.
2. Are Raspberries Nutritious? National Processed Red Raspberry Council.
3. Health benefits of raspberries, By Megan Ware RDN LD. January 5, 2018. h
4. Red Raspberry Facts. Oregon State University. http://berryhealth.fst.oregonstate.edu/health_healing/fact_sheets/red_raspberry_facts.htm
5. Learn more about Ellagic Acid. Polyphenols in Chronic Diseases and their Mechanisms of Action. Elroy Saldanha, Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga, in Polyphenols in Human Health and Disease, 2014Science Direct.
6. What are the benefits of quercetin? Beth Sissons. January 14, 2019. Medical News Today. 

© Lorelle Del Matto 2019