Rhubarb and Custard Crumble + More

Rhubarb is in season - but if you don't have any, you can use loads of other fruit (see the attached recipes).This is a bit like a trifle but, frankly, nicer. If you don't like custard, try the same amount of cream mixed in with a bit of natural yoghurt and 1/2 a tsp of vanilla essence

Rhubarb Crumble
Serves: 4
Prep time: 1 hour
Cooking temp: Gas 4, 180C
Cooking time:  25 minutes

Ingredients
For the crumble
225g plain flour
200g fridge-cold unsalted butter
150g granulated demerara sugar
100g porridge oats 
For the rhubarb compote
 400g rhubarb (peeled and trimmed weight)
40g caster sugar
2 tbps orange juice
For the custard
125ml double cream
125ml milk
1/2 a vanilla pod, slit, OR 1/2 a tsp of vanilla essence
2 large egg yolks
40g caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour

Method

1. Preheat the oven.
2. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and combine with all the other crumble ingredients in a large bowl. Rub to crumbs, then mash some together into larger lumps to form a very rough crumble. Break these up slightly over a shallow, wide baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Mix with a large spoon half way through.
   
3. Meanwhile, slice the rhubarb into 5 cm lengths and put into a small saucepan with the sugar and juice. Cook on a low heat for 15 minutes until the juices run and the rhubarb is beginning to break down (but hasn't lost its shape). Leave off the heat to cool slightly.
4. Put the cream, milk and vanilla pod / essence into another saucepan and bring to simmering point. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes - or, if you use the essence, ignore this step. 
5. Beat the egg yolks with the cornflower until it is creamy. Pour over the hot cream, whisk whisking with an egg whisk. Put it all back into the pan and heat (not to a boil), stirring with a wooden spoon. The custard should coat the back of the spoon.
6. Layer up 4 desert glasses with the rhubarb, custard and a good scattering of crumble on top. You'll have too much - see below for further possible uses...
   
   

   

   With yoghurt

   

   With custard

What to do with the independent crumble (which, we discovered, is a handy thing to have about to make super quick  deserts): (it will store well in an airtight container for a few days)

• Scatter over fruit and yogurt, like granola for your breakfast
• Layer up with a stewed fruit compote... we cooked up 4 nectarines with a splash of red wine, sugar and water/lemon juice and left it to reduce on a low heat with the lid on for 10 minutes. Lovely. Then, top with more cream or yoghurt as before, if you don't want to go to the effort of making custard
• Over a blueberry compote: take 2 cups of blueberries, 3 tablespoons of water, 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 tsp of lemon juice. Cook half the blueberries with the rest of the ingredients for 10 minutes in a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the rest and cook for a further 8 minutes. Serve warm.