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Several weeks ago, strawberries and rhubarb both began to show up in quantity at the store. Strawberry rhubarb pie is one of my favorite desserts on the planet. But it's a pie. And being a pie, it takes some work (if you use a homemade crust). So I set my sights on a cobbler, which is much easier to make than a pie. My father and I have now gone through three iterations of versions of strawberry rhubarb cobbler in as many weeks. The first one was too sweet and mushy (the crust based on this approach), though mom loved it. The second one's crust was dry and tasteless. This version, however, was just perfect. It's pretty tart; if you prefer a sweeter cobbler you may want to take up the sugar a notch, perhaps another 1/4 to 1/2 cup. http://www.cake-recipe.org

Fruit mixture
4 1/2 cups rhubarb stalks cut into 1-inch pieces (Trim outside stringy layer of large rhubarb stalks; make sure to trim away any and discard of the leaves which are poisonous; trim ends.)
1 1/2 cups strawberries, stemmed and sliced
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon of grated orange peel http://www.cake-recipe.org

Cobbler crust
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350?F.
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1 In a bowl, mix the rhubarb and the strawberries with the sugar, tapioca, and orange zest. Let sit to macerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

2 In a medium bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons of sugar, the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter in with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk and egg until just moistened. http://www.cake-recipe.org

3 Pour fruit into a 2-quart casserole dish. Drop the batter on the fruit. Bake in a 350?F oven for 35 minutes until cobbler crust is golden brown. http://www.cake-recipe.org

Serves 6. Serve with whipped cream (optional).

Links:
Strawberry rhubarb pie
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie from Barbara of Tigers and Strawberries
The Rhubarb Compendium - an excellent information site all about rhubarb.

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