Strawberry-rhubarb cobbler

A BBQ invitation is a great motivator to use up the fruit on-hand. Years of my mother sending food with me to dinner parties and BBQs has well-ingrained the must-bring-food-with-me habit. Strawberry-rhubarb cobbler seemed an excellent way to utilize recently-bought strawberries and the rhubarb my mom had harvested from her garden and frozen. Nice to get at the fabulous strawberry-rhubarb flavour without the more intensive amount of work required for the much-loved pie.

Recipe

adapted from Simply Recipes Fruit mixture5 cups of rhubarb stalks, cut into 1" pieces2 cups strawberries, stemmed and sliced3/4 cup white sugar2 tbsp tapiocaCrust 3 tbsp sugar1-1/2 cup flour2-1/4 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt6 tbsp butter1/2 cup milk2 eggs, lightly beatenPreheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, mix rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and tapioca. Let sit in order to macerate for 30 - 60 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter in with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in egg and milk until just moistened. Pour fruit into a 2-quart casserole dish. Spread the batter over the fruit. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Musings

A few notes on preparation: The original recipe called for less batter but I ended up making about half again as much (provided in the recipe above). Perhaps I didn't spread the batter thin enough when I made the original amount, but it didn't quite cover all of the fruit. I was rather dismayed when I took it out as the fruit mixture looked rather soupy. I realize things often need a bit of time to set, but this looked like it might be too much. I did bring it with me to the BBQ anyway, and in the course of my running a few errands prior to the party, it did miraculously set!After seeing its soupiness, my expectations were predictably low. But I was actually pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be quite tasty. The strawberry-rhubarb was sweet (but not too sweet) and nicely tart from the rhubarb. The cobbler crust was golden and crunchy. Thicker than I expected it to be, so perhaps I could try spreading it thinner next time. But all in all, I wasn't horribly embarrassed to be presenting this at a BBQ.