A boy named Chico, a llama, and a rhubarb crumble

Last fall, I was asked in a job interview what my favorite food was.   For a moment, I was stumped.  There are so many favorites, how could I pick just one?  I ended up answering that I had a big sweet tooth (which, if you've been reading regularly, is probably not much of a surprise), but that my favorites varied by the time of the year.  In October, apple pie and pumpkin custard top the list.  In April, though, it's all about the rhubarb crumble.

Unfortunately, no one told Michigan that, and our rhubarb crop didn't show up this year until the middle of May, which is, of course, chocolate cake month.  Luckily, however, rhubarb shows up right in time for April crumbles in Baltimore.  Even more luckily, Kate keeps sugar, flour, butter, and oats on hand and continues to be indulgent when I'm in the mood to bake.

I'll get back to the topic of rhubarb crumble soon, but first, I've mentioned Kate a few times now, and seeing as she's about the greatest person I know, I think it's time I properly introduced you to her.

Kate was one of the first people I met when I started college.  We were both incoming freshmen on the swim team, so I saw her at practice and social functions almost daily.  It was a few months, however, before we really became friends.  In December of that year, when I was miserable in a self-imposed exile, alternately crying, sleeping, and moping through mononucleosis, Kate and another teammate, Elissa, brought me a batch of chocolate chip cookies, still warm from the (toaster) oven.  I had the worst sore throat of my life - it was a struggle just choking down Gatorade, let alone solid food - but it was such a kind gesture, and I was so touched that they thought of me.  As I got to know Kate better, I would find she was one of the most thoughtful, caring people I had ever met.

In the coming months, Kate and I began to spend more and more time together, especially after we discovered our mutual penchant for watching ridiculous musicals and making peanut butter cookie dough without ever baking any cookies.  Soon we had decided to live together during our sophomore year, and though other roommates came and went over the next three years, Kate and I stayed together until we graduated.  

Those three years were filled with long late-night chats, countless banana muffins, and weekly dinner dates.  Every Monday, Kate and I would cook and eat dinner together, sharing family recipes and trying out new ones.  Some of our meals didn't turn out so well - a mango chutney so spiked with vinegar that it practically burned the inside of your nose stands out in my memory as one of our poorer efforts - but most of the time, we did pretty well.  I think it was at one of those dinners - probably in April - when I introduced Kate to rhubarb and, of course, rhubarb crumble.  Kate, being very sensible, immediately recognized what a superior dessert a rhubarb crumble is, the tartness of the rhubarb tamed by a heaping dose of sugar, blanketed with in a crisp, buttery topping.  Toss a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream over a slice of crumble still steaming from the oven, and you have my perfect spring evening.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and when we graduated from college, Kate and I moved out of our apartment and on with our respective lives.  Kate still lives in Baltimore, and though we chat semi-regularly, I don't get to see her all that often.  When I do get to see her, though, we make up for lost time.

During my last trip to Baltimore, after dinner at Iggie's Pizza, I spent the night at Kate's apartment.  I think I intended to leave the next day some time around noon, but I just couldn't bring myself to go.  The television was left on TCM, and I stayed through A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and then All About Eve, and then Key Largo, and then whatever came on after that.  Meanwhile, Kate napped and I made a crumble, and then we made vanilla ice cream* to dish spoon over the top for the perfect mid-afternoon snack.  Later on, Kate planned her lessons for her high school Spanish classes the next day, and I helped her by writing a story about a boy named Chico and his dream of owning his very own llama.  In the evening, we revived our dinner date tradition, making a Moroccan stewed chicken dish, served with couscous, which we ate with Kate's husband Dan.  It was a pretty perfect day.

I've got some more rhubarb in my fridge now, and I'm considering making another crumble tonight.  I wish Kate were here to share it with me, because really, my favorite food is whatever I'm eating with her.

*The first attempt Kate and I made at making ice cream, maybe three years ago or so, is another good story, involving a good work-out and a cut on my chin which, according to my nurse roommate, was big enough I could have considered getting stitches for it.  Perhaps I'll come back to that one another day.

Rhubarb Crumble

I try to always get my rhubarb from the farmer's market, although I've noticed it popping up at the grocery more and more in the last few years.  Grocery rhubarb is usually much redder than the stuff you'll find at the market, which is greener and pinker, but both are ripe and ready for baking.  Select firm stalks.  Rhubarb will last about a week in the fridge, but the longer you wait, the limper it will get.  Make sure you trim off any leaves and discard them, as they are poisonous!

6 cups rhubarb, ends trimmed and diced into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.  Pour rhubarb mixture into a large pie pan, spreading evenly.  Sprinkle crumble topping (see recipe below) over the rhubarb.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until the rhubarb is completely soft when poked with a fork.  Serve immediately with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.


Crumble topping

This is great over any fruit dessert - raspberry crumble, apple crumble, cherry crumble... basically, any fruit pie that would have a top pie crust can have a crumble topping instead.  It's much quicker and easier to make, there's less fat, and the topping is made with oats, so clearly it's totally heart healthy.  If you have more than you need, the rest can be bagged and frozen until you make your next crumble.

1 cup oats
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Sprinkle over fruit filling until well covered.

Serves 4-8, depending upon your willingness to share.