My grandmother's spring rhubarb crisp and autumn apple crisp were notable for their crispy topping with almost as much butter as oatmeal! Her crisp also contained more flour than oats, and so is slightly harder to replicate as a gluten-free concoction. The following recipe captures some of the buttery, sugary crunch, but if you have access to pure, uncontaminated oatmeal, use the oatmeal-based version of the recipe in the next post, Apple or Rhubarb Crisp II.
4 cups fruit, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup arrowroot flour or tapioca starch
1/2 to 1 cup sugar (1/2 for apple, 1 for rhubarb)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Gluten-Free Topping:
1 cup fine dry gluten-free bread crumbs
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
a few drops almond extract
1/2 cup melted butter
Combine sliced fruit, white sugar, 1/4 cup arrowroot flour, cinnamon, and water. Pour into a 9” square pan. Combine bread crumbs, brown sugar, coconut, pecans, almonds, almond extract, and melted butter in a small bowl. Mix well and crumble over the fruit in the pan. Pat down lightly. Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.
Variations:
* Add 1/2 cup blueberries or cranberries to either rhubarb or apple mixture.
* Sprinkle apples with 1/2 tsp lemon zest and 1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice for a tangy apple crisp.
