Dessert
Foraged Fruit Crumble & Bay Custard
This nutty, spiced crumble topping is deliciously textured and moreish. The subtly sweet, nutmeg notes of bay compliment a rich, silky custard. We love this with Autumnal British blackberries and pears but experiment with the fruit you can forage!
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas Mark 6. Roughly chop the pears to be slightly larger than the blackberries. Place in a saucepan with a little squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of sugar, if you wish. Cook gently for 5-10 minutes, until just starting to soften. Remove from the heat and cool, then tip into an ovenproof dish and with the blackberries.
- To make the crumble topping, combine the everything except the butter in a bowl. Mix well and then pour over the melted butter and stir briefly until just combined. Sprinkle over the blackberry mix and spread until even. Place in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the crumble is golden.
- Whilst the crumble cooks, make the custard. Add the cream, milk and bay leaves to a large saucepan and gently bring to simmering point. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour, and vanilla.
- Once the milk has reached simmering point, remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. After this, remove the bay leaves and return to the heat briefly, before pouring into the sugar mix, whisking constantly. Return the heat and continue to stir over a gentle heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- To serve, spoon the crumble into bowls and top with a generous drizzle of custard.
