Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Call it a crumble, call it a crisp, call it a fruit bake (is there such a thing?)…whatever name you want to give this little baby, go ahead.  It’s called scrumptious, in my dictionary.  I probably won’t hear a thing while I’m enjoying one of these treats anyway.  So, I just named it with the most common name, a crumble, referring to the golden brown and crumbly toppings.



I love Spring.  The temperature in Spring is just so comfortable, the beautiful flowers starts blooming (sorry to those who has allergy), also, the produce selections are just as wonderful!  What are today’s top picks from the farmer’s market?  Strawberries and rhubarbs.



Since both strawberries and rhubarbs are the most beautiful around this time of the year, that makes them a natural and perfect pair in cooking and baking.  I love the sweetness from the strawberries that balanced so well with the tartness from the rhubarb.  They are simply gorgeous to me, both in tastes and appearances. 



I can munch on a basket full of these sweet and refreshing strawberries all day just the way they are.  However, it’s been rainy and gloomy in the past few days in L.A. (which is very unusual at this time of the year).  The gloominess just made me crave for something more comforting, something that can warn my heart and stomach (what an excuse, huh!?).  That was how this Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble was born. 



I love to enjoy this Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble while it’s still warm from the oven.  The crumble on top was golden brown with a wonderful crunch.  The strawberry and rhubarb were still bubbling with their own juices as they came out of the oven.  I serve this Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble with a big dollop of Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream along with some fresh strawberries.  The Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream and fresh strawberries were still cold from the fridge and makes a nice contrast in temperature with the warm crumble.  You can definitely serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream instead.  I can imagine it would be just as scrumptious. 



When the warmth from the Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble started to melt the Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream…each bite was heavenly.  Not to mention, the Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream alone was to die for.  Yes, I added the seeds from half a vanilla bean instead of using extract when I whipped up the cream.  If you look closer, you can see the seeds in both the pictures above and below.  They are simply beautiful to me!  Hey, if I were to indulge, might as well make every bite counts! 



Thank you for reading and I hope you’ll enjoy today’s recipe.