strawberry rhubarb almond crumbles

Update: This post and recipe was originally published in 2015. I have updated it to reflect new information and helpful content!

As we inch closer to springtime, these strawberry rhubarb almond crumbles are all I want for a dessert. Nothing sings spring to me like strawberry rhubarb and the disappearance of snow for good. And even if I have to make this gluten-free daydream from store-bought berries and frozen rhubarb in a raging April snowstorm, I’ve been known to do it!

No worries, though. Soon enough, the strawberry growing season in Minnesota will be here. And when it arrives, I’m going to be ready, how about you?

Where to pick your berries this spring?

While I don’t grow cute baby bootie-shaped berries yet, many farms around the Twin Cities do, and they open their berry fields for picking. Strawberries in June, blueberries in July, and raspberries anytime from July into the fall. I mark my calendar for the end of May and early June to check the farm updates from one of my favorite spots, Berry Hill Farm.

My skills for timing farm-to-table have progressed. In years past, I would excitedly check into picking options only to find out the season ended the day before. Facepalm. Stores rarely provide berries that look and taste quite like this.

Until that one year when the berries and Bursch luck aligned. Since this day below in 2015 with 5-year-old Evie, it’s been on my radar early.

My first recipe revision for this old favorite dessert came after this load of berries in 2015. I finally had enough information (a.k.a. suffering) to advocate for my gluten allergy, but I hadn’t tried making this recipe gluten-free. I had enough berries to keep the experiments going with this June day’s haul until the topping was right.

Speaking of, it’s a toss-up of what this recipe is about. Is it the warm berries + lightly sweetened but tart rhubarb or the buttery almond cookie crumble? Well, we think all of the above.

What’s the best gluten-free flour for making strawberry rhubarb almond crumbles?

This dessert topping is more like an almond shortbread cookie than other dessert toppings I’ve made with oats. This almond crumble recipe works with any gluten-free flour and doesn’t require any added binders like xanthan gum, guar gum, or psyllium husk powder to bake well. I’ve tried the following flours with success in this crumble topping recipe:

• King Arthur’s Gluten-free All-purpose Flour – no gums or binders.
• King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Flour – has xanthan gum.
• Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour – no gums or binders.
• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour – has xanthan gum.
• Cup-for-Cup All-purpose Gluten-free Flour – has xanthan gum.

(This list of five gluten-free flour options contains affiliate links. I have tried them all, and I recommend any of them for this recipe.)

Is almond paste gluten-free and Celiac safe?

The ingredient almond paste was the quandary in making this almond crumble gluten-free and Celiac level safe. I LOVE the texture and taste of processed almond paste when it’s worked into a dough. But the messaging from the product and FDA regulations have been confusing. Having a gluten allergy requires that part of my life is trying to nail down if a food is safe or not, then weighing the risks. The work is exhausting but expected and worth it because the consequences are rough. But when people who care about you are trying to be supportive but haven’t understood the nuances or done the research, it can feel daunting for them and you to try or re-try.

In the case of almond paste, I have two boxes of almond paste in my house right now, and they are from the same brand; I bought them one week apart from Whole Foods, and they say two different things in the ingredients! Can I say crazy-making?

Last week a friend told me she used Odense’s gluten-free almond paste in some delicious almond cookies she made. I immediately found the box on the left and purchased it from Whole Foods. On the box of almond paste above that says GLUTEN-FREE on the bottom, the label says,

• Ingredients: almonds (45%), sugar, invert sugar syrup, water, invertase (a natural enzyme to preserve moisture.) Contains Tree nuts (almonds).

I made my strawberry rhubarb almond crumbles with this box and loved the flavor, texture, and buttery crumble. Win-win!

To finalize my recipe testing with almond crumble, I bought box B, thinking this would be the last try, but this box was different.

I purchased it at the same Whole Foods, same Odense brand, but the box says, GLUTEN-FREE* on the front. On the back, the label says,

• Ingredients: Almonds (45%), sugar, glucose syrup (from wheat), water, invertase (a natural enzyme to preserve moisture). Contains tree nuts (almonds), wheat*.

The word wheat in any ingredient list does not feel safe. What is this? Are they the same? And why the difference? Well, I dug in a little further.

Here’s what the FDA says on gluten-free labels and Celiac safe ingredients for products like almond paste!

I reached out to Odense and the owner Chuck Landrey emailed me back right away. This was Landry’s response to my query about the two different labels and ingredients:

“Both items are entirely gluten-free. We simply have to use the FDA’s wording regarding being “less than.” The fact is our lab tests confirm zero gluten in the product.  We started using invert sugar syrup because it delays the crystallization of the sugar syrup which causes the almond paste to harden (and become unusable). The box you have with invert sugar is the newer box. “

Chuck Landrey, Andre Prost, Inc.

While Landrey’s response gave me more confidence in using Odense’s almond paste, I looked up the FDA requirements around gluten-free labels, and I was reminded that it’s not a label that can be thrown around like “natural” is. Wheat, rye, barley, or other crossbreeds of these grains cannot be labeled gluten-free, and any ingredient derived from these grains cannot as well unless they’ve gone through extensive processes to remove the gluten and test under 20 ppm.

The rule specifies, among other criteria, that any foods that carry the label “gluten-free,” “no gluten,” “free of gluten,” or “without gluten” must contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. This level is the lowest that can be reliably detected in foods using scientifically validated analytical methods.

FDA U.S. Food & Drug Administration

What does this mean for me, friends, and personal chef clients related to my comfort level or risk tolerance? The Celiac Foundation agrees that glucose syrup does not need to be avoided as it’s had the wheat removed to these regulated levels. Double yay! But now that I have worked on all the options, what do I like the best?

Store-bought almond paste vs. homemade almond paste?

1. Store-bought almond paste – this more processed and pulverized paste is smooth in texture, has a slightly more robust almond extract-like flavor, and is a bit sweeter than all the options.
2. Homemade almond paste using organic almond flour – this combination is more smooth than blanching almonds (which I’ve done!) and achieves a comparable version to the store-bought almond paste. I get my alternative flours mostly from Nuts.com. They are not a gluten-free facility (no brands I’ve found are!), but they are committed to safety by using a dedicated gluten-free production line in a separate warehouse area.

My verdict? For this recipe, I will probably more often choose the homemade almond paste made with almond flour (center in pic) if I have it on hand. It combines with the butter for a smooth cookie melted top, and since I’m already using my food processor, this is an easy dump and blend method. If I’m using almond paste for anything else or have that instead of flour, I’ll grab a box of Odense with much more ease now that I understand the label.

With no further ado, let’s get baking!

Enjoy!

~Heather

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. I’ve linked to these products because I recommend them, and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.

Last Updated on August 11, 2022 by Heather Bursch