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Strawberry Rhubarb Rose Crumble Bars

I was cycling on the boardwalk at the beach near my home last August, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of fuchsia – the unmistakable pink of rose hips. Ahhh this gorgeous bushy plant is one that I first became familiar with in Denmark, where they bloom along the shores of every beach, punctuating the salty summer air with rose perfume. And here it was, at the water’s edge in Ontario, the very last petals dropping in the slanted summer sun. I knew I was too late to do anything with them at that point, so the idea-seed was planted for next year. Which is now, right on time!  

They say what grows together goes together, so for this recipe I waited for the rose hip to bloom, and then checked out what the other plants were peaking in my garden; strawberries and rhubarb! What a divine and classic combination! I couldn’t wait to get to celebrating this triple-blessing of flavours. Check out the full blog post here!

Strawberry Rhubarb Rose Compote Crumble Bars

Ingredients

Strawberry Rhubarb Rose Compote

  • 400 g / 14oz rhubarb
  • 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp. water
  • 300 g / 10.5oz ripe strawberries
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp. rosewater to taste

Shortbread Base

  • 2 cups / 200g rolled oats divided (gluten-free if desired)
  • ¾ cup / 70g almond flour
  • ¾ tsp. fine grain sea salt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 60 g expeller-pressed coconut oil ghee or butter
  • ¼ cup / 60ml pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Crumble Topping

  • 1 cup / 100g rolled oats
  • 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp. expeller-pressed coconut oil ghee, or butter
  • 2/3 cup / 100g almonds
  • ¼ tsp. fine sea salt
  • 3 Tbsp. almond flour

Directions

  • Start by making the compote. Bring water and maple syrup to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Roughly chop rhubarb and add it to the pan, stir and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes, stir again and use the back of a wooden spoon to smash the rhubarb. If it’s still quite tough, cover and continue to cook until almost soft. While the rhubarb is simmering, wash and stem the strawberries, then roughly chop. Add them to the soft rhubarb, stir well and cook covered, for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, and smash the mixture with the back of your spoon, until it’s your desired texture. I like mine pretty chunky. Stir in the salt, vanilla and rosewater. Adjust the flavours to suit your taste. The compote will firm up as it cools. Measure out 2 ½ cups / 625ml of compote and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. In a food processor blend 1 ½ cups / 150 grams of oats on high until you have a rough flour. Add almond flour, salt, and baking powder, then pulse to combine. Add maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. Pulse until evenly moist, then fold or pulse in the whole oats. The dough will be quite firm and sticky.
  • Turn out the dough into a lightly greased, or parchment-lined 8”x 8” / 20 cm x 20 cm brownie pan and press firmly, especially around the edges – it helps to wet your hands so that the dough doesn’t stick. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
  • While the base is baking, make the crumble topping. Without cleaning the food processor, add the all the ingredients for the crumble, and pulse a few times to mix. You can chop the ingredients as finely as you like, but I like mine pretty chunky.
  • Remove the base from the oven, and spread the compote over top in an even layer. Crumble the topping over, and place back in the oven for another 30-35 minutes, until the top and bottom are golden brown, and the middle is a bit bubbly.
  • Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Say thank you and enjoy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for five or six days.
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