Apple and strawberry crumble pudding with homemade custard

Sweet, spicy apples and strawberries marry well in a nutty crumble - and even nicer with a rich homemade custard

Serves: 6

Difficulty: Easy, 1 hour

There is nothing more comforting in winter than a warm apple crumble. Strawberries add a delicious berry dimension, and slivered almonds add extra crunch to the topping.

It's worth going the extra mile to make the vanilla bean crème anglaise which finishes it off perfectly. You can use frozen strawberries, just allow them to thaw first. Cut the apples into whatever size you like, but medium-sized chunks hold their bite.

Ingredients:

Filling:

350g fresh or frozen strawberries

6 apples (Pink Lady or Golden Delicious), peeled, cored and cut into chunks

10ml (2 tsp) ground cinnamon

80ml (1/3 cup) golden caster sugar or regular caster sugar

Crumble topping:

120g (½ cup) butter

120g (1 cup) flour

120g (½ cup) golden caster sugar

50-80g raw sliced almonds

Crème anglaise:

3 free-range egg yolks

60g sugar

250ml (1 cup) milk

250ml (1 cup) fresh cream

Seeds scraped from 1 fresh vanilla pod

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

2) For the topping, combine the butter, flour and caster sugar and mix by hand or in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3) Using your hands, clump the crumbs together to make bigger bits.

4) Spread the apple and strawberry filling in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the top.

5) Scatter the almonds over and bake for 35-40 minutes until the pie is bubbling and the top is golden brown. If it is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil.

6) For the crème anglaise, beat the egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

7) Heat the milk, cream and vanilla seeds in a small, heavy-based pot until bubbles form around the edges.

8) Slowly beat about half the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture, then add the rest and mix gently to combine.

9) Pour all this back into the pot and return to the stove over a low heat. Stirring continuously, cook until you have a custard thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

10) Pour over the crumble or serve on the side.