Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble

I've always had an affinity for baking, and for years I've fallen into the baker's camp versus the cook's camp. I enjoy the precision of the recipes: an exact teaspoon of this added to 3 cups of this folded into two of those and viola, a delicious sweet treat.

While I'm sure my husband would love it if I baked a bit more these days, there's always the danger that I'll turn into Miranda from Sex and the City, you know that episode where she digs the brownies out of the trash so she can finish the pan. Extra classy.

Well last week we had the lovely Sarah Karls over (don't know Sarah, she rocks, visit her at the Mansion Hill Inn in Madison, Wis.) and to celebrate my scrabble win I ended my hiatus from the oven and whipped up this fabulous Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble from page 132 of Bon Appetit's May issue.

The great thing about crumbles and crisps is that even if you haven't had a ton of baking success, they are what many would call "chef's desserts" in that they don't require the precision of pastries. Measurements don't have to be exact for you to get a wonderful result.

I've currently got enough rhubarb to make crisp for all of China, so adding it to this dessert was a no brainer. In fact, the only items I added to Adam's market list were some berries and ice cream. He came home with Hagen-Dazs, this boy know what he's doing!

I didn't have the hazelnuts, but have plenty of others on hand, so I subbed in some pecans.

I also didn't have enough white sugar, so I used brown instead for a portion of it.

The most important flavor enhancer in this recipe is the vanilla bean. Whole beans are a splurge, but I am of the opinion that they are totally worth it. Extract don't even begin to touch the power of the pure vanilla seeds. If you do opt for extract make sure you're getting the real deal and not that McCormick extract.

I also really like how this recipe had you use your hands to make the topping, it was a lot more effective than the food processor technique that leaves the topping too uniform in texture.

I plan on whipping up another crumble tonight. I've got an apple in the fridge so it might make the cut. Use whatever fruits and berries you've got on hand. This same topping would be wonderful over a combo of pears and apples with raspberries or maybe a blueberry/blackberry duo would do it. Use what's in season, what you've got and what you love and it's sure to be delish!