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Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp - and it's paleo.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp - and it's paleo.

Make Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp - and it's paleo now: a warm, nutty skillet dessert with bright rhubarb and strawberries.

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Yield4

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare to bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack to the middle position so the crisp will brown evenly. While the oven warms, pull together your tools and a lightly greased ovenproof cast-iron skillet (or similar ovenproof casserole) — this pan will be the home for the whole dessert. This small, practical step gets the kitchen ready and keeps the timing crisp and predictable.

Step 2: Toss the fruit with bright flavors and thickener

In a roomy mixing bowl, combine the diced rhubarb and diced strawberries with the orange zest, a teaspoon of lemon juice, five tablespoons of honey, a pinch of salt, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder. Stir gently but thoroughly until every piece of fruit is glossy, the arrowroot is fully incorporated and the honey and citrus have evenly coated the pieces; the mixture should look juicy, slightly syrupy, and beginning to cling together as the arrowroot swells.

Step 3: Blend the dry crumble components

In a separate medium bowl, stir together the chopped pecans, almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the 1/4 cup honey and use a fork initially to begin bringing the mixture together — you want a cohesive, slightly sticky dry mix with visible pecan fragments, a warm cinnamon perfume, and fine floury textures.

Step 4: Cut in the coconut oil until crumbly

Work the 4 tablespoons of coconut oil into the nut-and-flour mix with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the topping begins to form coarse crumbs: some pea-sized clusters of pecan-and-flour, many finer sandy crumbs, and a few larger buttery shards. The texture should read as loose, sandy-crumbly with glossy nodules where oil has bound small clusters.

Step 5: Assemble the crisp in the ovenproof pan

Grease the cast-iron skillet lightly, spoon the fruit filling into the pan and spread it into an even layer so pieces of strawberry and rhubarb peek through. Scatter the crumble topping evenly over the fruit in an even blanket, leaving no large gaps — the topping should sit coarse and dry above the syrupy fruit so it can brown properly in the oven. This is the assembled, ready-to-bake state: glossy, thickened fruit beneath a pale, loose, buttery crumble.


Step 6: Bake until bubbling and golden

Place the assembled skillet into the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes, checking visually: the topping should turn golden-brown with toasted pecan flecks and the fruit should be visibly bubbling and glossy at the edges. Remove when the crumbs are deeply bronzed and the filling is actively simmering; allow the crisp to cool a few minutes in the pan so the juice thickens slightly and the topping firms a touch.

Step 7: Serve warm and enjoy

Spoon generous portions straight from the skillet onto individual plates (or serve family-style still in the cast-iron pan), letting the warm, tart-sweet rhubarb and strawberry mixture contrast with the crunchy, buttery pecan-almond crumble. A small spoonful of extra honey or a wedge of orange on the side is optional; serve warm so the textures — bubbling, syrupy fruit and crackly, golden topping — are at their most inviting.

Notes