Tom Kerridge's Apple and Pear Crumble with Proper Custard
Who doesn’t love apple crumble and custard? This is a mixed fruit version using apples and pears, raisins and prunes for extra juiciness and flavour. It has a nutty crunchy topping that you can make in minutes and there’s also a proper custard that can be made ahead and reheated when you need it.
Ingredients
Fruit filling
Crumble topping
Vanilla custard
Method
Preheat the oven to 160C fan (when you are ready to cook the crumble).
Grease a deep, medium-sized ceramic roasting dish well with butter. Sprinkle over the Bramley apples in a single layer. Next do the same with the Granny Smith apples, the pears, the raisins and the prunes. Put the spices and sugar into a small bowl and mix well. Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit and pour over the apple juice.
Next place the butter, sugar and flour into a food processor and pulse a few times. Add in 100g of the mixed nuts and pulse again until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Open the food processor and scrunch the mixture in your hands – if it clumps together, it’s perfect. Continue to take handfuls of the mixture and scrunch it well before crumbling it all over the fruit in an even layer. Roughly chop the remaining 50g of nuts and sprinkle over the crumble mix.
If you are ready to cook the crumble, pop it in the oven on the middle shelf for 50-60 minutes or until it’s a deep golden brown.
To make the custard, pour the double cream into a medium saucepan and scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan. Place the pan over a medium heat and bring it up to a gentle simmer.
Put the egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl along with the sugar and whisk until fluffy and pale. Pour the simmering cream onto the eggs, whisking constantly. Now pour the mixture back into the pan and place it over a medium-low heat and whisk this constantly until it thickens. It should reach 82C on an instant-read thermometer. Pour the custard through a sieve immediately, cover it and set aside until needed. When you are ready to serve the custard, pour it into a pan and reheat gently or you can serve it cold.
Tom’s tip
Crumble is best prepped ahead, popped in the fridge and then cooked when you need it. If you cook it ahead, you risk burning the topping when you reheat it.
