strawberries&rhubarb | theartofglutenfree

Happy Mother’s Day 2012 to all of you fabulous ladies out there! In Honor of all of you and the fact that summer is just around the corner, I though maybe, just maybe I would share with you a recipe that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. This recipe doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare, so tell your chef, cook, boyfriend, husband or partner to get off the couch and get bakin’. I know I will be enjoying a slice for my Mother’s Day picnic!

If strawberries don’t scream summer, than I don’t know what does. Strawberries, just make any late spring or summer day happier, brighter and a whole lot yummier. Now throw some rhubarb in the mix and BINGO…you have one tasty treat.

While cutting up the fresh strawberries and crunchy rhubarb to prepare this recipe, the smell of the rhubarb brought me back to when I was a kid. I remember picking rhubarb with my sister and taking it home to wash and hopefully with approval gobble it up with a big bowl of sugar…for dipping of course. Ahh…those carefree days when nothing else mattered, but the fun you were going to have outdoors, all…day…long. Sure you can eat strawberries anytime of the year, but the rhubarb and strawberry combination just isn’t the same unless summer is right around the corner. This is one recipe that will hopefully become one of your families favorite spring or summer desert to share at those family reunions, graduation parties, baby showers, picnics or anything in between.

What you will need:

For the Struesel:

1/2 Cup butter melted
3/4 Cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 Cup GF all-purpose flour ( I use better batter)

For the Bars:

1lb rhubarb (about 3-4 lg stalks)
1 lb Strawberries
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 Cups GF all-purpose flour, divided ( I use better batter)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cup confectioners sugar (powdered)
3 lg eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup oil
1/4 Cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° and prepare a 9×13 baking dish, butter sides and bottom of dish

wash, hull and thinly slice strawberries. Wash and cut rhubarb into small 1/2″ or smaller pieces.
In a medium bowl, place sliced fruit with 1/4 Cup brown sugar & 1/4 Cup flour. Mix to coat evenly and set aside
In another bowl beat oil, eggs and powdered sugar until nice and creamy, add vanilla and mix until completely incorporated
Add salt & baking powder and mix thoroughly
slowly add the remaining flour (2 1/4 cups), beat until all batter is mixed. (Should resemble a muffin batter)
pour batter into the greased 9×13 pan, top with berries & spread evenly over the top
prepare your struesel and mix with a fork to make it crumbly
sprinkle your struesel over the top of the berries
bake for 55-60 minutes in a 350° oven
remove from oven and allow to completely cool before serving
serve with fresh whipped cream