How to make a perfect vegan rhubarb crumble

This recipe post for vegan Rhubarb Crumble is sponsored by Camry Electronic Kitchen Scale

As the weather grows colder here in Southern California my husband and I begin to yearn for warmer foods. Breakfasts switch from smoothies to oatmeal. Heartwarming soups replace sandwiches and salads. For dessert we begin to crave a taste of home making a Vegan Rhubarb Crumble. In the UK it’s traditionally served with hot custard or contrasted with ice cream. As my hubby is not a fan of custard we tend to go for Rhubarb Crumble with vegan ice cream.

Why is rhubarb good for us?

While we tend to think of rhubarb as a fruit, it’s actually a vegetable. With an often sour and tangy flavor it’s the perfect partner for sweet crumble crisp topping and ice cream. Beware though, the leaves of the rhubarb plant are high in oxalic aside which can be toxic to humans and pets. So we should only be consuming the stalks which are delicious. Rhubarb is a good source of vitamin K & C, high in fiber and antioxidants. We’re always told to eat our vegetables and I for one and down with eating rhubarb. It’s a vegetable fore dessert, what more could you want?

If you’ve not had cooked rhubarb you are missing out and need to get to the store asap! However, if you’re in America finding fresh rhubarb can sometimes be a struggle. I usually have to resort to frozen, which is available in Sprouts. However for this recipe you could use apple, or seasonal berries. Rhubarb is good for it’s tart flavor though, which offsets the sweetness of the crumble.

Benefits of using a Kitchen Scale vs Cups

This may shock the Americans reading this, but in Europe nobody uses cups to measure. It’s all done with kitchen scales. Not only is this more accurate, but you can tweak your recipes a little easier too. For this recipe I used my new Camry Kitchen Scale. Not only does it do an accurate and easy job of recipes but it looks sleek in my kitchen too.

The Camry Kitchen Scale has it all. Toggles between grams and ounces (even mid-weighing), tare function, a timer, and room temperature gauge. The stainless steel 2L dishwasher safe bowl makes clean up a breeze. No need for multiple cups and measuring spoons, just add your first ingredient, tare, and repeat. Everything gets added to the ONE bowl! Perfect for lazy time efficient cooks. Plus I can use the bowl on it’s own for tossing salads or other recipes. That appeals to the minimalist in me.

Recipe: Vegan Rhubarb Crumble

Ingredients:

• 4oz Flour
• 2oz Margarine
• 2oz Sugar
• Rhubarb

The steps to making this recipe are few. If using frozen Rhubarb then simply defrost for 30-60 minutes before using (you can microwave it in a pinch), fresh you can wash and cut into small chunks.

Preheat oven to 400°. Measure out the 4oz flour on your kitchen scale. Tare, and add 2oz margarine. “Crumble” the margarine into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. At this point tare the kitchen scale once more, and add 2oz sugar.

Put the rhubarb in an ovenproof dish and top with the crumble mixture. Cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 20-25 minutes at 400°, or until golden brown on top.

This vegan rhubarb crumble is easy to make, and you can make it ahead! Simply make the crumble topping, place in a dish and pop it back in the fridge until needed. This makes it a great dessert for the holidays!

How to make it vegan

To make this recipe vegan the first thing you need to ensure is that your margarine is in fact vegan. Not all margarine is vegan so read your labels! Sugar is the other culprit on this list. “How is sugar NOT vegan?” I hear you ask. Well let me educate you that refined sugar is typically filtered and bleached with bone char, thus making it not vegan. While some vegans don’t obsess over it, if I’m buying sugar I choose vegan.

Questions:

• Do you like the tangy taste of rhubarb?
• What’s your preference: custard or ice cream?
• Are you more likely to cook with cups or a kitchen scale?