As children, we used to have contests that involved seeing which one of us could chew on a rhubarb stalk for the longest time … uncooked …. without sugar. A weird kid thing that could have created a life-long strong feeling of aversion to rhubarbs. Luckily enough, it didn’t.

Well, rhubarb is not quite in season yet in the northern part of Sweden. The start of the growing season is behind here. Four weeks ago there were still some snow left. Now spring is here. Today is a bright, sunny and warm day here. Yesterday I harvested a few rhubarb stalks. I couldn’t wait to make something with them. However, five small rhubarb stalks were clearly not enough to make a rhubarb crumble.

I did an inventory of what I had in the freezer and refrigerator to get a picture of what the options were. Sweet, tropical mango together with tart rhubarbs? Maybe a wicked combination. Maybe not. I still had some red currants left from last year in the freezer. So a rhubarb/red currant/mango combo was worth a try.

Cooking becomes a true pleasure when you are working with inspiring ingredients.

And here is the final rhubarb/mango/red currant/crumble recipe (or is it a crisp?):

INGREDIENTS:
8 servings
* 1/3 of each rhubarb, mango and red currants (ab. 500 grams/18 oz)
* 100 ml caster sugar
* 1 ½ tablespoon potato starch

CRUMBLE MIXTURE:
* 50 grams blanched, skinned almonds
* 150 ml light muscovado sugar
* 100 ml coconut flakes
* 75 ml porridge oats
* 200 ml plain flour
* 150 grams butter

METHOD:
1. Lightly grease a a deep oven proof plate (or a large deep pie plate).
2. Dice mango fruit and cut rhubarb stalks into pieces.
3. In the plate, mix together the rhubarbs, mango, red currants, sugar and potato starch until well covered.
4. Place the almonds into a food processor bowl with knife blade attached.
5. Add muscovado sugar to food processor and pulse until the almonds are ground and incorporated with the muscovado sugar.
6. Add coconut flakes, porridge oats and flour, pulse briefly to blend.
7. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, and when it all looks crumbly, stop food processor.
8. Sprinkle the dough crumble over the top.
9. Bake in lower part of oven, 225°C (= 437 ºF), for 20-25 minutes.

Serve lukewarm as it is … though, a scoop of vanilla ice cream is always nice and lovely.

What was the Rhubarb Mango Red Currant Crumble like then as compared to ordinary rhubarb crumbles? Perfect. I shall definitely make this crumble again. I have got a winner on my hands. The color and sourness of red currant harmonized nicely with rhubarb. The flavor of the mango disappeared but the color was there as a piquant yellow accent.

Source: My Recipes