Recipe VII - Rhubarb Crumble and Custard

A few people have written saying they'd like a good old-fashioned dessert recipe. I went for crumble because I made one yesterday - it takes about an hour, and makes a perfect outdoor afternoon accompaniment to your coffee during these gorgeous spring days.

Ingredients for the lower layer:
5 stalks of rhubarb, washed, beheaded, cut into centimetre-wide pieces
Brown sugar, maximum 150g, depending on taste
A handful of raisins
Half a glass of red wine
A large spoonful of cinnamon
4-6 cloves
A glass of warm water

Ingredients for the crumble topping:
180g flour
160g butter
80g sugar
A teaspoonful of cinnamon

Instructions for the lower layer:
Put all the ingredients except the water into a half-covered saucepan and put on a low heat for half an hour.
Once heated up, add the water depending on how runny you would like it.
You can do this part on the day, or if you have a lot to do, you can even do this a few days before, provided you keep it stored well.

Instructions for the rest:
Put the butter, sugar, cinnamon and flour into a bowl and mix until the consistency is crumbly.
Take a correctly-proportioned, round or square 10cm-deep baking dish and pour in the lower layer.
Spread it evenly over the bottom of the dish.
Take your crumble mix and carefully spread it evenly over the top of the rhubarb until it covers all the surface area.
Place the baking dish in the oven at 200°C for 35 to 45 minutes. If, after 20 minutes it is browning on top, turn the heat down to 175°C for the remainder of the time.

Ingredients for the custard:
300ml milk
A tablespoon of vanilla essence or a vanilla pod, split along its length
1 large spoonful of thinly ground (caster) sugar
2 egg yolks

Instructions for the custard (do this while your crumble is in the oven):

Heat the milk and vanilla slowly and allow it to just reach boiling point. Turn down the heat after boiling.
While the milk is heating, put the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and whisk them together.
Pour your boiling milk and vanilla over the eggs and sugar, continuing to whisk until the consistency is completely homogeneous.
Return them to the pan and then back onto the cooker at the lower heat I mentioned earlier.
In about five to seven minutes the mixture should start to thicken.

Endnote:
I love my crumble topping to be really thick, so I increase the ingredients proportionally.
Spring greetings!


My rhubarb crumble