Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my rhubarb crisp runny? ›

You need to incorporate a thickener in rhubarb fillings in order to thicken the juices and gel them so that the filling is jammy and set, not watery and overly loose. Flour is an easy choice, but flour creates a filling that is more opaque and white-ish.

Usually it's the crumble that wrong. It might be too lean, making it rather dry and everlasting to eat, or it's undercooked so that it has the pasty flavour of uncooked flour.

Macerate Your Rhubarb With Sugar To Draw Out Excess Liquid

The reason rhubarb pie gets so runny is that rhubarb is 95% liquid, which puts it near the top of watery fruits and vegetables alongside things like melon and cabbage.

Yes, you can definitely use frozen rhubarb for baking. Just make sure to thaw it and drain any excess liquid before using it in your recipe.

If you use more butter than the recipe calls for, the crumb topping will be melted and greasy. If you don't use enough butter it will be dry and floury.

The rhubarb plant is a "heavy feeder." The plant must take in large amounts of nutrients from the soil to produce its large stalks and leaves. Make it an annual practice to supplement the soil with either a balanced commercial fertilizer or rich compost, or both.

A pastry chef friend shared the technique. Instead of sprinkling the raw crumbs on top of the fruit, where they absorb the juices and turn a little mushy on their undersides, he spread them out in a pan and baked them separately, until crisp and cookielike.

Either the oven is not hot enough or you don't have enough fat and/or sugar in the topping.

Spread a single layer of cut rhubarb on trays, freeze until firm (1 to 2 hours), then put in air tight bags or containers. Rhubarb may also be frozen with sugar or syrup. For a sugar pack, mix 1 part sugar and 4 parts rhubarb and allow to stand until sugar is dissolved before packing into freezer containers.

Venting is key for a perfect rhubarb filling.

Rhubarb has a surprising amount of moisture, and sugar draws it out. Make sure you've got plenty of vent holes — either make them with a circle cutter as I did, or top the pie with a lattice. Venting allows moisture to leave the pie as steam, and prevents sogginess.

How do you fix a runny strawberry pie? ›

To thicken strawberry pie filling, you'll need to cook it on the stove and use a starch such as cornstarch (or a cornstarch substitute like tapioca starch or flour).

Easiest ways to fix a runny pie.

Put your pie back in the high temp oven on the lowest rack until the filling is bubbly and the crust is brown. If needed, use a pie shield or aluminum foil to keep the crust from burning.

You can also toss sliced rhubarb with granulated sugar, which helps prevent freezer burn by minimizing the rhubarb's exposure to air.

Cut the rhubarb to a size that is convenient for how you plan to use it in future recipes. Place the cut rhubarb on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze. (This prevents the formation of ice crystals). Transfer the rhubarb to a freezer-safe bag (leaving it about 1/3 of the way empty).

Rhubarb is a vegetable often thought to be a fruit. There's actually a good reason for this confusion: in 1947 the USDA classified it as a fruit because the tariffs on bringing fruits into the country were lower on fruits than vegetables. In actuality though, rhubarb is a vegetable - a member of the buckwheat family.

Just take the liquid you strained out and simmer it over medium-low heat with a thickener like cornstarch until it's less runny. Then add the thickened juice back to your rhubarb and cornstarch mixture before cooking your recipe like normal.

Add The Right Thickener

Cooking off the liquid is a great first step, but to achieve a cohesive filling, adding a thickener is key. Sprinkling in some flour is standard in most recipes, but we found that it leaves a starchy taste. Instead, reach for cornstarch or tapioca.

The ingredient list for a crumble or crisp is relatively short, but don't be tempted to leave out the cornstarch. As fruit cooks, it releases its juices, becoming saucy and soupy.