St. George's Day Food Extravaganza with the Oxford Food Society

featuring Rhubarb Crumble

We interrupt the trip to Romania and Moldova for a lesson in English cuisine. The 23rd of April is St. George's Day in England. St. George is most famous for slaying the dragon but the legend itself seems to be completely unfounded. St. George was a soldier in the Roman army and was tortured when he refused to renounce his Christian beliefs. His emblem is the red cross on the white background. Richard the Lionheart adopted the emblem for his troops to avoid battlefield confusion. Since then, St. George has become the patron saint of England. Despite this history, St. George's Day is not widely celebrated in England.

To celebrate English food, the Oxford University Food Society held a St. George Day Food Extravaganza. The night featured three courses for students to feast on. The menu featured onion and cider soup, shepherd's pie, steamed beef pudding, cauliflower and mash bake, steamed carrots, watercress and carrot tart, and yorkshire puddings. Of course, the desserts were the highlight. Along with my rhubarb crumble, we had Sussex Pond Pudding (lemon and currant steamed pudding) and apples in pastry.

For the event, I made Rhubarb Crumble. In Kansas, we have lots of rhubarb so rhubarb dishes are not a new to me. However, I am used to making rhubarb crisp with lots of oats and nuts. Most of the English recipes that I found simply used a flour, butter, and sugar topping with some add-ons including digestives and nuts. My rhubarb crumble recipe combines some new flavors - ginger and lemon - into a very traditional recipe. The result was delicious especially with a little double cream poured over the top!

Rhubarb Crumble

Serves 10-12

Filling

1.2 - kg (approx. 10.5 cups) rhubarb

3/4 cup caster sugar

Zest of one lemon

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

4 Tbsp. water

Topping

2 cups flour

1 cup finely crushed giner nut buscuits (or any type of ginger cookies)

3/8 cup caster sugar

6 oz. butter

1. Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit.

2. Cut the rhubarb into half inch pieces. For thick stalks, cut the stalk in half length wise and then slice into chunks. Place the rhubarb chunks in a 9"x12" pan.

2. Combine the sugar (3/4 cup), lemon zest, grated ginger, and water in a saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble and turn clear. Pour the sugar syrup evenly over the rhubarb.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, crushed ginger biscuits, and sugar. Cut the butter into small chunks and mix in with the dry ingredients. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until it resembles small crumbs. (Using a pastry blender can help speed this process along.)

4. Pour the topping over the top of the rhubarb. Cover the rhubarb evenly and press down on the topping to create an even surface.

5. Place the crumble on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes or until the crumble is bubbly and golden on top.

6. Enjoy with hot custard, double cream, or ice cream!

Tagged with: What's For Pud? and St George's Day