Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Crumb Bars

Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Crumb Bars

crust and topping:

• • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse Kosher salt

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

  • 1 can (8 ounces) almond paste

  • 1 egg

  • 1 cup sliced almonds

filling:

• • 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries (about 12-15 large strawberries)

  • 3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb (about 3 large stalks), chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons corn starch

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.

In your food processor (or in a large bowl, using a pastry cutter) blend the flour, salt, butter, almond paste and egg until moist and crumbly, and pea-sized pieces of butter remain. Stir in the sliced almonds. Reserve 2 cups of the mixture for the topping.

Press the rest of the dough mixture firmly against the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, corn starch and vanilla and set aside to let macerate.

After the crust has baked for 15 minutes, spread the fruit over the hot crust. Sprinkle the fruit with the remaining 2 cups of dough crumbs. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the fruit begins to bubble around the edges.

Cool completely at room temperature before cutting into bars.

Yields 24 bars.

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen