Apple & Raisin Oaty Crumble with Vanilla Custard

This is a little something I whipped up over the weekend and an absolute classic as I am sure you will agree! There is something very comforting and homely about preparing and eating this particular dessert and I love the heavenly combination of spiced apple, crunchy oat crumble and creamy vanilla custard.  

My keen foodie readers wilI notice that I have included a small amount of flour to help stabilise and thicken the custard. Picture a seven month pregnant woman (that would be me) standing over the stove,  DIY tools and paint tins piled up to the ceiling around me with a busy two year old underfoot... a curdled egg custard might just have pushed me over the edge! So I hope you will forgive me for playing it safe with this one.

Dinner party make ahead tip: The apple filling and custard can be made several hours ahead of time, even the day before. Cover them well and store in the fridge until needed. Then simply rub together your crumble topping, assemble the desserts and bake when needed.

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APPLE & RAISIN OATY CRUMBLE 

with VANILLA CUSTARD

Serves 6

1kg apples
100g butter
60ml (1/4 cup) raisins
60ml (1/4 cup) caramel sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Crumble:

90g flour
60g caramel sugar
30g oats
75g butter, at room temperature

Vanilla custard:

2 egg yolks
40g castor sugar
2 tbsp flour
300ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla paste

Step 1.) Peel and core the apples, and cut into chunks. Melt the butter in a medium sized pot, then add the apple chunks. Toss to coat in the butter, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 2.) Add the raisins, caramel sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir well. Cook for a further 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly, until the apple chunks are soft but still have some bite. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Step 3.) Preheat your oven to 190°C and start preparing the crumble topping. Place the flour, caramel sugar, oats and butter together in a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the ingredients together. The mixture will be dry at first, but continue to rub until the butter coats the dry ingredients and the mixture starts to clump together.

Step 4.) Divide the cooked apple between 6 small ramekins. Do the same with the crumble mixture, sprinkling on top of the apple. Place the ramekins on a tray and bake for 25-30 minutes until the crumble starts to colour.

Step 5.) While the crumbles bake you can prepare your custard. Whisk the egg yolks and castor sugar together until creamy. Whisk in the flour. Place the milk in a saucepan over a medium heat and heat just until boiling point. Remove from the heat and carefully add half of the milk to the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Then add the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and heat slowly while whisking. Continue to cook until the custard has thickened. Stir in the vanilla paste then transfer to a warm jug. 

Step 6.) Allow the cooked apple crumbles to stand for a few minutes before serving with fresh vanilla custard.