Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Tapped Out Small-Batch Maple Syrup

{Refined Sugar Free + Vegan & Gluten-Free Versions}

Tis’ the season for fresh rhubarb in Canada and coming soon, local strawberries. Could it be, the best time of the year?

Back when I (The Kind Curator) worked as an online wellness coach, I spent quite a bit of time doing recipe development. As a Certified Culinary Nutrition Expert, I was always looking for healthier ways to make favourite dishes while ensuring that they still tasted good. Nobody really wants to eat a gluten-free something or other that tastes dry & flavourless.

Choosing Refined Sugar-Free Sweeteners

One way that you can healthify a dessert is by using a better quality, refined sugar free sweetener - something that comes from nature. We are big fans of swapping in raw honey, maple syrup or even coconut sugar. Yes, they are still a form of sugar, but they definitely have been way less processed, can affect one’s blood sugar differently (coconut sugar in particular), come from nature and can even have health benefits (eg. raw honey - unprocessed is actually antibacterial). 

Even when choosing a natural sweetener, you’ll still want to pay attention to how it was made and where it was made. Just because it’s natural, doesn’t mean it was sourced sustainably, ethically or produced to be in it’s purest form. Read your labels and ask questions, that’s really the only way to find out more  - be in the know and support local.

With that being said, we’ve spent a great deal of time researching, speaking with local makers and farmers to bring to you some of the best products in Canada, including maple syrup and honey. Products that are crafted with care and in many cases, the old fashioned way. 

The Best, Truly Canadian Maple Syrup

This leads us to Graeme Foers's Tapped Out Small-Batch Maple Syrup - crafted in Egbert, Ontario, this is his 25th year of syrup making. Graeme has been making Maple Syrup since the age of 5. Every year the forest is asked for permission to make maple syrup, this is something that Graeme was taught by his mom to do and he continues to do, year after year. He continues to produce the old fashioned way, which is what makes it a truly Canadian product.

The maple syrup is cooked in the woods, in flat pans over open fires that Graeme keeps burning all night long. Sap is continuously added to the pans until there is a natural break in the sap flow. This cooking process creates individual batches and unique flavours. Each batch has different and unique tasting notes, just like a bottle of fine wine you might say. His maple syrup is truly a unique small-batch product, it’s the best we’ve ever tasted...and we’ve tasted a lot of maple syrup.

You can find Tapped Out Small-Batch Maple Syrup in the Weekender Brunch Box or in the Marketplace

Two Versions Of Our Summer Inspired Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

As promised, we wanted to leave you with a delicious summer inspired dessert recipe that uses none other than Graeme’s Maple Syrup.

Ingredients

FILLING
2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced
¼ cup maple syrup (we used Tapped Out Batch #1)
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1 tbsp cornstarch (non-GMO) or arrowroot starch

CRISP
¾ cup all-purpose, unbleached flour
¾ cup rolled oats
¼ cup maple syrup
½ cup grass fed butter
1 tsp cinnamon

METHOD

1. Pre heat oven to 350F.
2. Mix fruit, maple syrup & starch, pour into a baking dish. I use a glass 9” pie dish.
3. Combine topping ingredients, then spread over the fruit mixture. Cover as much as possible.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes - until the topping is crisp, lightly browned and the fruit bubbling.

Vegan & Gluten-Free Version

Ingredients

FILLING

2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1 tbsp cornstarch (non-GMO) or arrowroot starch

CRISP

METHOD

1. Pre heat oven to 350F.
2. Mix fruit, maple syrup & starch, pour into a baking dish. I use a glass 9” pie dish.
3. Combine topping ingredients, then spread over the fruit mixture. Cover as much as possible.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes - until the topping is crisp and lightly browned, the fruit will also be bubbling.

If you find yourself in the kitchen baking up a storm, we’d LOVE to see your creations!
Share them with us over on Instagram @thekindcurator

Happy Baking!

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