Rhubarb Pistachio Ginger Crisp

Doesn't reading the title just make your mouth water?  I love this dessert that my mother-in-law introduced us to about two months ago. It's de-licious!  Plus it's easy to make - a definitely plus for a newbie baker like me.

You start off with chopped rhubarb.  I bought almost the entire stock at Loblaws in order to bake these two crisps for the barbecue we had on Saturday. Little did I know people were bringing other desserts and one would have been enough! Oh well, having one in the freezer for another date is fine by me :)

After chopping the rhubarb add some flour, granulated sugar, and chopped crystalized ginger.  Lookin' good already.

Next you make the topping which is comprised of flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, ground ginger, salt, pistachios, and BUTTER.  I know, I said the "B" word.  And once you start baking you are acutely aware of all the naughty ingredients that make desserts as tasty as they are.  I cut the butter into small cubes so it would be easier for me to mix  together by hand since I currently lack some essential baking tools.

It's not quite as bad as it looks! Okay, maybe it is...but so tasty!

I wasn't able to find shelled pistachios at the store so guess what fun task Mike "volunteered" for?

I wanted the pistachios partly crushed so I threw them into a heavy-duty Ziploc bag and got our little hammer from the basement.  It had never occurred to me to take out the Magic Bullet we received as a gift from my mother-in-law! I guess it's because I only used that for the first time this weekend when I made sauces and dips for the bbq (extremely handy, by the way).

Ummm...every baker uses a hammer, right guys?

Finally you assemble the topping over the rhubarb and Voila!

Ready for the oven :)

Here's the full recipe for all those salivating readers who are already half-way to the grocery store for rhubarb and pistachios:

Rhubarb Pistachio Ginger Crisp

750 g rhubarb, cut in 1-inch lengths (this is roughly 6 cups chopped up)
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp chopped crystallized ginger (I used more!)
2 tbsp butter

Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour  (I replaced half with whole-wheat flour)
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ shelled pistachios, halved
¾ cup butter, cubed  (eek! I used a bit less)
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350degF.
2. Combine rhubarb, granulated sugar, flour, and crystallized ginger in a 10 x 8 inch baking dish. Dot with   butter.
3. Prepare topping by combining flour, oats, brown sugar, ground ginger, pistachios, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over rhubarb.
4. Bake for 40 min or until juices are bubbling and crumble is golden.