Why This Recipe Works

Sweet, juicy strawberries and bright, tart rhubarb combine to make a beautiful dessert with compelling contrast and complexity, and baking them together under a crisp topping is literally easier than pie. We wanted a foolproof version of strawberry-rhubarb crisp that never turned out soupy and had an invariably crisp topping. Since different batches of strawberries and rhubarb exuded varying amounts of liquid in this dessert, we mixed them with brown sugar and just enough cornstarch and then cooked them on the stovetop to coax out excess liquid that would otherwise make a soupy filling and a soggy topping. Once the fruit filling had just the right barely jammy consistency, we covered it with an easy stir-together crisp topping (including a bit of panko bread crumbs to amp up the crispiness) and popped the dessert in the oven until it was just golden brown.

Before You Begin

If using frozen strawberries, there's no need to thaw them completely; you can chop them as soon as they're soft enough. If using frozen strawberries and frozen rhubarb, you may need to increase the stovetop cooking time by up to 4 minutes. Depending on the amount of trimming required, you may need to buy more than 1 pound of rhubarb to ensure that you end up with 3½ cups. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Instructions

for the topping

Whisk flour, panko, sugar, salt, and cinnamon together in bowl. Add melted butter and stir until no dry spots of flour remain and mixture forms clumps. Refrigerate until ready to use.

for the filling

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss all ingredients in large bowl until thoroughly combined. Transfer to 10-inch ovensafe skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until fruit has released enough liquid to be mostly submerged, rhubarb is just beginning to break down, and juices have thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Squeeze topping into large clumps with your hands. Crumble topping into pea-size pieces and sprinkle evenly over filling. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling around sides of skillet, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve.