How to make apple crumble with custard
Posted: 30 October '09 by Niall
Apple crumble with custard
Ah, school dinners..
While I’m not one for desserts, I have a deep-seated love of jam roly-poly, spotted dick, apple crumble, and the rest of those stodgy, custard-covered, rib-lining sweets.
Here’s one of our favourites – apple crumble with homemade custard. The “homemade” part is important – none of that tinned gloop or coloured cornflour here! And you can certainly taste the difference.
You can see more photos hereImage 1Image 2Image 3Image 4Image 5Image 6Image 7
Serves 6
Ingredients:
For the crumble:
- 300g/101/2oz plain flour, sieved
- A pinch of salt
- 175g/6oz unrefined brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of caster sugar
- 200g/7oz unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
- Knob of butter for greasing
For the apple filling:
- 450g/1lb apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm/1/2inch pieces
- 50g/2oz unrefined brown sugar
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
For the custard:
- 570ml/1 pint milk
- 55ml/2fl oz single cream
- 1 vanilla pod
- 4 eggs, yolks only
- 30g/1oz caster sugar
- 2 level tsp cornflour
You’ll also need a large saucepan, a whisk, a wooden spoon, and a good deep oven-proof dish.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- Place the flour and the brown sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Taking a few cubes of butter at a time rub into the flour mixture. Keep rubbing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Place the apples in a big saucepan and put a drop of water – it will help the fruit to start breaking down. Place over a low heat
- When the fruit starts to break down, add the cinnamon and the white sugar
- Let the apples simmer, stirring occasionally – be careful though – while you want the apples to start to break down, you don’t want a puree. You still want some nice pieces of fruit in there.
- When you’re happy with the consistency, remove the saucepan from the heat and spoon the mixture into an oven-proof dish
- Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top, so that there is a good inch of the crust over the whole dish
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the crumble is browned and the fruit mixture bubbling
- Take a knife and slice the vanilla pod down the length of the pod
- Place the pod in a second saucepan, making sure to get all of the small black seeds from the blade of the knife in there as well
- Add the milk and cream to the saucepan and bring the lot to simmering point over a low heat
- Remove the vanilla pod
- Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a bowl until well blended
- Pour the hot milk and cream on to the eggs and sugar, whisking all the time with a balloon whisk
- Return to the pan, and over a low heat gently stir with a wooden spoon. You’ll know when the custard is thick enough when a clear line remains when you run your finger down the back of the custard-covered spoon
- Spoon a serving of the apple crumble into a bowl and pour some of the custard over the top – heaven!
Categories: Recipes
umm.. thanks for the recipe but it doesn’t tell me how many people it serves. I want to serve it to about 10 people so do I need to make double or triple. Please can you answer my question because it is urgent. Thanks so much!!
Hi Safia,
Oops – oversight on our part!
I think that the amounts would serve 6 people here – it’s VERY filling, particularly if you serve the apple crumble with custard.
I’d make double this amount for 10 people, to be on the safe side.
Let us know how you get on!
Thanks so much for the advice. i think this recipe is great! i made it and the whole thing was finished in about 15 minutes!! plus i made double!! thank you again!!
It’s always nice to get that sort of feedback :)
Glad you liked the recipe!