Spring is my favorite season! I love the lift in energy and mood that comes after a dark, brooding winter and the blush of cherry blossoms, birdsong and peppering of flowers throughout the city never fails to make me smile. This spring I noticed rhubarb at the local market. Rhubarb has such a short season but is a quintessential flavor of spring sweets. I pulled this strawberry rhubarb crumble together off a mash-up of various internet recipes coupled with what I had in my kitchen. The result is sweet, tart, and delightfully crunchy. Enjoy!

For the filling:

• 2 cups diced rhubarb
• 2 cups diced strawberries
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp wildflower honey (this has a floral note that pairs very well with fruit)
• pinch of salt
• 1.5 tbsp arrowroot powder

For the crumble:

• 1/2 cup chopped raw hazelnuts
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 tbsp. coconut flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp. wildflower honey
• 4 tbsp. coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Grease a 9″ by 9″ square casserole dish or pie plate.

Mix all filling ingredients together and pour into the casserole dish. Mix all crumble ingredients together (ideally with your fingers) until all is well incorporated and has a crumbly texture to it. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is browning nicely.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or keep it paleo with a whipped coconut cream (by chilling a can of coconut cream overnight and whipping it in a blender with 1/2 tsp vanilla before serving) or cashew cream.

Cashew Nut Cream (recipe from Cynthia Lair’s book, Feeding the Whole Family)

½ cup raw, unsalted cashews
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
Water

Grind nuts to a fine meal in a small coffee grinder or food processor (no lumps or there will be lumps in your nut cream). Put ground cashews, maple syrup, and vanilla in the blender.  With blender running, add water a little at a time until you have a thick creamy consistency.