Rhubarb Apple Crumble with Cheese Cream Cake

It is rhubarb season !  This incredibly sour fruit or vegetable was a stranger to me ...... until I came to Germany.  I cannot explain my facination with this 'stem'.  It's tartness as pink gooey mess of compote or baked, replacing apples.

 Look at the thickness -  1 stem weigh at least 350g.   Rhubarb season is short.  How short ?  Generally, soon as strawberry appears, it's arrivedeci rhubarb.  What I usually do is, cut the trimmed rhubarb into 2cm (1 inch) pieces,  pack them into 1kg bags and deep freeze them.  Imagine....having rhubarb compote in winter.    The tartness will make your toes curl and straighten afro hair at the same time. 


Here is what I made with the freshest rhubarb one can ever find - from my own garden.
You will need :

700g trimmed rhubarb (cut into 2cm pcs)
3 Apples (Cox or Jonagold) peeled and sliced into 2cm pcs
Baking pan 26cm (round) or 14x12cm (square) lined

Crumbs:
400g AP flour
1tsp baking powder (shifted into flour)
150g castor sugar (more if you like)
1 (L) egg
Vanilla

(for crumb topping)
100g Hazelnut meal
1 egg
50g sugar

Fresh cheese cream :
Mix well.....200g fresh cheese 20% fat (Quark), 1 egg, zest from 1 lemon

Method:

1.Rub the butter into the flour and sugar, add egg and vanilla to make the crumble.
2.Sprinkle 2/3 of crumble to cover pan and press with fingers to evenly distribute.

3.Spread cheese cream evenly over crumb. 

4.Arrange rhubarb and apple slices alternatively on top of cheese cream.

5.Mix 1/3 of crumb with topping and distribute evenly over rhubarb and apples. 

 

6.Bake at 180°C for 45 or 60 mins or until crumble topping is crisp and golden brown.

Serve warm, sprinkled with icing sugar.  
Even better, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.