Summer means Rhubarb Crisp

I am not sure how everyone else feels about summer, but to me, summer is the taste of a tart rhubarb crisp or cobbler. I really felt like I was missing out on great crisp once oats were not a part of my diet. I spent the better part of a decade without crisps or cobblers of any kind.

Of course now I can not believe that it took me so long to come up with a GF crisp -- especially since the gluten eaters at potlucks camp out around my crisps and rave about them. This recipe was inspired by a rhubarb crunch that a dear family friend, Zibby, included in her cook book.

Anyway, since I am still working on using up the 3-4 pints of raspberries we seem to be picking daily, why not throw some of them into a....wait for it.....rhubarb crisp!

Ingredients
4 cups rhubarb
1/2 C sugar
2T tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
1 C water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C GF flourblend
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
6 T butter
1/2 C brown sugar

Fresh raspberries

Place rhubarb in a 7x11 pan (I only have a 9x11 so I just throw more rhubarb in). This crisp is fabulous with just rhubarb, but if you are trying to unload raspberries (or blue, black, or boysenberries) -- simply throw a bunch in the pan at this point. Combine sugar, starch, and water and cook until thick. Add vanilla. Pour over rhubarb.

Combine flour, nuts, butter, and brown sugar in a bowl. sprinkle over rhubarb. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Barely Buckwheat Pancakes

I am overloaded with berries this week. Our raspberries are at their peak and I have purchased several pounds of blueberries. This morning I could not face one more "pink smoothie" as my daughter calls them. Instead, I whipped up these pancakes. Todd says they are the best pancakes I have made up to date......good thing I measured, huh.

Ingredients

2 C gluten free flour mix
1/2 C buckwheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xantham gum
1 T sugar
1/4 C olive oil
1 egg
Milk - enough to make them thick but still slide off the spoon. About 1 1/2 - 2 C



Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add liquids and stir until still slightly lumpy. (this helps them rise). Add berries to taste. Get our your griddle and cook 'em up! They have a great texture and if you use some olive oil on your griddle top they will also brown and crisp nicely. GF pancakes don't always "bubble" the way traditional ones do to let you know to flip them -- so check them visually to prevent burning.