Gorgeous Vacaville in Spring (plus dessert!)

Who would think a place that is so hot, so dusty, so golden and brown in summer, could be so lovely, so fresh, and so green come spring?  When we first came to Vacaville, over 20 years ago, we didn't seem to have the four distinct seasons we have now.  Spring has become as lovely, though in a different way, as autumn.  I don't remember there being such a clear-cut spring.  I think there used to be sort of a dulling of the winter chill that lasted a few weeks at most, and then the blast of summer was upon us.  The last few years we seem to have had an actual spring, with daytime temperatures in the 70s, nights cooling off nicely to the 50s--it's lovely.  Above you see a beautiful California oak just beginning to bud, a redbud in full glory, and the myriad shades of green in the hills.  Below see the pretty little blossom of an almond tree, a part of Vacaville's ranching heritage.  It's an awfully nice place to live.

For me, spring always has to include something made with a strawberry and rhubarb combo.  Some years I make a pie, but making piecrust isn't my very most favorite kitchen task, and I just didn't feel like it.  This year, a Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble sounded like just the ticket.  This recipe is out of Bon Appetit magazine, I think the February or March 2011 issue (I cut out so many recipes,  sometimes I'm not quite  sure from whence they come).  I tried this for the first time because I had been given some vanilla beans, and I wanted to use them.  I made a few minor changes to the original recipe, so I'll type it the way I made it.  Even the anti-fresh fruit and vegetable contingency in my family enjoyed this dessert.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble

3/4 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar

Large pinch salt

6 Tbl.  (3/4 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/2" cubes

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved (or quartered if they are huge), about 4 cups

12 oz. rhubarb, preferably bright red, ends trimmed, stalks cut crosswise into 1/2" thick pieces

Vanilla ice cream

Combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt in bowl of food processor. Pulse once to blend.  Add butter.  Pulse once or twice more, just so mixture clumps together and is kind of lumpy.  Pour into a bowl.  Stir in the oats and the chopped walnuts.  Place bowl in refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease with butter or spray with Pam an 11 x 7 x 2-inch glass baking dish.  Place remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a large bowl.  Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean; whisk to blend well.  Add strawberries and rhubarb to sugar in bowl and toss to coat well.  Scrape fruit filling into prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle the slightly chilled oat topping evenly over filling.  (If your baking pan looks close to overflowing, put it on a thin cookie sheet to bake.)

Bake crumble until filling bubbles thickly and topping is crisp, about 45 minutes.  Let cool 15 minutes.  Spoon warm crumble into bowls, and plop a nice little scoop of the vanilla ice cream into the bowl, too.  Very tasty.  Serves 6.