Whenever I see rhubarb, it makes me think back to when I was a child. My grandma has had a vegetable garden for as long as I can remember, and rhubarb was in there as well. Since kids don't really like sour tastes, she had a different way to learn us how to eat it: a stalk of rhubarb and a little plate with sugar next to it, to dip it in. I can perfectly remember the crispy crunch from the sugar and the sourish taste of the rhubarb. Delicious!

What is the first thing you think about when you think about rhubarb? Right, a crumble! We have some rhubarb in our garden as well, so I have been wanting to make this crumble for a week or two. Sadly enough, the weather has been crazy (it's as if it is March instead of May), so home-grown veggies & fruit are ripe later than normal. That means that I have to wait to harvest the rhubarb, which I didn't like.

This weekend, I was walking around at our local market. I usually go there with my mom in the morning, but I happened to be there in the afternoon, all by myself! While I was strolling around, I heard someone yell "3 packages of rhubarb for 3 euros!" That sentence made me happy for various reasons: one, I love people yelling  at the market (it's the only place where yelling is normal!), two, 3 euros is nothing for the amount I got and three, I finally found my rhubarb. The first thing I could think of was: rhubarb crumble! So I pretty much ran over to the lady and asked for some rhubarb. Well, I must admit I didn't think it would be so much! I have taken a picture of it, it's further down.

Due to a lack of time, I had to wait until sunday evening to bake my crumble, but here it is - and I can tell you one thing: it is amazing! I never had homemade rhubarb crumble in my life before, but it is good! Even for those of you that do not like the sourish taste of rhubarb, the crumble makes it so much sweeter! I know, the plate looks a little disgusting. There are some reasons for it: since I couldn't wait more than 3 minutes to put in on the plate, the crumble hasn't harded completely, so instead of being a real crust, it mixed with the fruit. And secondly, rhubarb is pink-greenish. When it is hot, it turns more brownish and because of its texture, it just doesn't look appealing. But I promise, it tastes like the best baker in the world just made this for you. I promise. Here it is:

Ingredients
for 6 - 8 people, depending on how much they eat!

• 500 grams (5 cups) of rhubarb, washed and cut into pieces of about 1 cm
• 200 grams (0.9 cup) of granulated white sugar
• 1 package (8 grams) of vanilla sugar
• 150 grams (1.2 cup)of all-purpose flour
• 90 grams (0.4 cup) of butter

Preheat your oven to 225°C/435°F.

Cut the rhubarb in pieces and pour all of them in an oven-proof, greased dish. Pour half of the granulated sugar and the vanilla sugar over the rhubarb.

In a bowl, mix the leftover sugar, the flour and the butter until it becomes a crumbly mixture. If you like using your hands, feel free, because it is a perfect way. I used a spatula and it worked fine too!
Pour the crumbly mixture over your fruit and put the dish in the oven for about 30 minutes. It will have an amazing crust, and the fruit will have started to caramelise.

When ready, take out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes or so, not too long. This crumble is best when it is still warm, with a scoop of ice cream (I prefer vanilla) and to top it of, some whipped cream. Enjoy!

P.S.: This was the amount of rhubarb I got for 3 euros! I cut all of it up and put it in the freezer to use in other crumbles, or other rhubarb dishes!