Strawberry-Rhubarb Polenta Crisp

From our cookbook Gjelina: Cooking From Venice, California

This crisp, now on the menu at Gjelina, showcases strawberries at their finest. Their sweet, concentrated juice bubbles up and oozes over the sides of the baking dish.

Photo by Michael Graydon and stylist Nikole Herriott

Strawberry-Rhubarb Polenta Crisp

From Gjelina: Cooking From Venice, California (Chronicle Books)

Serves 10 to 12

TOPPING

½ cup plus 3 Tbsp [155g] unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 cup [120g] all-purpose flour

½ cup [80g] quick-cooking polenta 

⅓ cup [65g] sugar 

1 egg

½ tsp baking powder

Pinch of kosher salt 

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB FILLING

2 quarts [1.4kg] strawberries, hulled and halved

2 large stalks rhubarb, thinly sliced

½ cup [100g] sugar

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 

Juice of ½ lemon

Pinch of kosher salt

Olive oil gelato for serving 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F [190°C].

2. To make the topping: In a food processor, combine the butter, flour, polenta, sugar, egg, baking powder, and salt. Pulse ten times or until a crumbly dough forms. Refrigerate until you are ready to use. (The topping can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)

3. To make the filling: In a large bowl, gently combine the strawberries and rhubarb with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt.

4. Pour the filling into a 10-by-14-inch [25-by-35.5-cm] baking dish. Crumble the topping over the top. Bake until the crisp is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 40 minutes.

5. Put a generous scoop of the warm crisp into each dessert dish and top with the gelato to serve.

Illustration by Meg Woodcheke