strawberry feels

Unnnnngh, strawberries, amiright?  Maybe I'm just a loser, but every time I'm in the supermarket and I stroll by the berry section lately that smells makes me crazy.  So sweet, so juicy my mouth just waters.  What's even better than those stacked plastic containers of big-boned californian ladies?  Their teeny tiny, dark red, juicy locally grown NY counterparts.  I'll save you from my waxing poetic about the joys of picking your own little beauties from the vine and carrying them home, cause that ain't me.  I absolutely want you to pick them for me, place them into quarts and pay the extra dollar.  Yeah, I'm at that point in my life.  Save the romance of bending over in the mid day sun for hours getting weird fly bites all over my ankles, i just wanna eat!

So, last week I had my first big party at our new apartment.  It was what I've always dreamed about.  You know, except for the rain (but we already had that discussion) and cramming 30 people into my livingroom and having to use the broiler instead of the grill.  For dessert, I wanted to do something seasonal and light, because we had a TON of food.  It was husband's birthday, so I also wanted something not too sweet.  I took my tiny little sugary blessings from the farm and mixed them with their good friend, rhubarb, who always lends that sour note, perfectly balancing the tastes in your mouth.  On top, instead of a traditional brownsugar/oat jam, I wanted to use my favorite vegan drop biscuit recipe, subbing in my favorite coarse ground cornmeal from Wild Hive (go get this stuff, seriously!).  The cornmeal added a savory twist on its own and I added in some fresh basil to the batter for a hint of greeny freshness.  It was a hit!  And I'm an idiot because I took zero pictures of the finished product.  So... imagine in this blank space... a bubbly, crumbly sweet early summer bowl of deliciousness.  And just make it yourself, okay?

Vegan Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler

Filling:

1 quart (plus a little extra) strawberries, preferably local, stemmed and halved
5 stalks rhubarb, cut into similar sized bits
3 tablespoons honey (or agave or sugar, whatever you got)
1/4 cup cornstarch
zest and juice of one lemon
pinch of salt

Topping:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons vegan margarine (or coconut oil, butter, etc)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine all filling ingredients into shallow baking dish until well incorporated and starch is absorbed.
3. For topping, whisk together first five ingredients and then cut in (or pinch with your fingers) the butter to the flour mixture until crumbly.  Add in milk and basil and just stir to combine.
4. Drop onto fruit mixture in serving sized lumps or just spread it out if you want.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes until fruit is bubbly and biscuits are browned.  Let it cool and probably don't use trick candles if you don't want your husband to spit all over it before you get to eat some (whoops).