Ruby Razz Crunch

By ClaudiaJan

Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce bag frozen raspberries with syrup, thawed and drained, liquid reserved
• 1 16-ounce bag of frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained, liquid reserved, or about 4 cups of fresh, chopped rhubarb
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 to 3 drops red food coloring, if desired
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Reserve 2 tablespoons raspberries for topping. In a measuring cup, mix the reserved raspberry and rhubarb liquids and, if necessary, add water to make 1 cup.

In a 2-quart saucepan, mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the cornstarch; stir in reserved liquids. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in raspberries and rhubarb and set aside.

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. In a small bowl, gently mix whipped cream, 2 tablespoons granulated subar, reserved raspberries and food coloring. Drop 9 mounds onto the lined cookie sheet and freeze until firm.

In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, oats and connamon. Stir in butter until crumbly. Press 2/3 of the crumb mixture in the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch square pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon filling mixture over crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes, before serving. Cut into 9 squares. Top each serving with the frozen dollops of cream.


Heavy winter snow and lovely spring rain conspired to provide us with a bumper crop of rhubarb. And just in the nick of time and new cookbook - "Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off Desserts" (Wiley Paperback, $17.95) - arrived and offered a new way to use up the extra large stalks. This recipe combines two sweet-tart flavors and not too much sugar in a lovely nostalgic dessert that we're going to sneak for Sunday breakfast.

Ruby Razz Crunch

C.W. Myers of Fort Collins won the Bake-Off with this recipe in 1956. That year, all of the recipes were required to include Pillsbury BEST flour. This is the high-altitude version.