Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie

At the Farmer's Market Today, Red Jacket Orchards was having a special: all of the fresh ingredients needed to make a Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie, complete with a multi-generation family recipe on how to make it.  I could literally smell the sweet aroma of the fresh local strawberries in front of me, how was I going to resist?

The equation turned out to be simple. Three local ingredients: strawberries + rhubarb +Red Jacket Orchards Fuji Apple Juice = the most mouthwatering, melt-in-your-mouth strawberry soaked deliciousness I've EVER had. I could actually kvell all day about this, but I'll cut to the chase so you can enjoy it yourself!

Of course, I changed the recipe around to move this crumble to the healthier end of the spectrum.  I've replaced the original crumb topping ingredients, which included shortening, with a healthy oat-based cobbler topping I've tried and loved in the past.  While the local strawberries in this recipe are such a treat, I think the natural fruit juice is what makes the pie shine: 100% simple pressed whole fruit, sans from concentrate, added sugar, water, color, or flavoring.

Red Jacket Orchards' Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie


Pie Filling Ingredients:
3 cups of diced rhubarb
3 cups of sliced strawberries
3 tablespoons of RJO Fuji Apple Juice (any 100% apple juice made from whole fruit can substitute)
1/3 cup sugar (the original recipe called 3/4, i lowered to 1/2 and it was still really sweet)
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter (I skipped this)


Crumb Topping Ingredients: (my version)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate (or use extra apple juice from the filling)
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Directions:
Mix Red Jacket Rhubarb, Strawberries, Fuji Apple Juice, sugar, and cinnamon into your favorite pie crust.* Dot in butter pieces all over the filling. Mix Crumb Topping together and pour over filling. Bake 40 minutes @ 375 degrees.


*OK, I skipped the pie crust. Ready-made versions are usually loaded with bad fats, and the standout of this recipe is the crumble topping and filling, so I put my pie filling straight into a butter-lined pan.