Words by Paul Ainsworth
Sometimes, food memories aren’t necessarily about the food; they can remind you of a person or a place. And in this case, I’m dedicating this recipe to my dad. He always had a patch of rhubarb growing in the garden, right next to my rabbit hutch. Most weeks at the guesthouse, he would cook the customers a rhubarb and apple crumble with thick Bird’s custard. I’ve made this recipe my own, but the heart and soul of it is still true to that memory. I also love to eat this with a lump of Cheddar (don’t knock it ʼtil you’ve tried
it!), or just straight up with chilled pouring cream.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
900g fresh rhubarb, peeled and stalks removed
20g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
5 Pink Lady apples, peeled
130g dark soft brown sugar
Pinch of Cornish sea salt
3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
Zest of 1 lemon
Custard (see below), to serve
For the crumble:
130 g wholemeal flour
50g jumbo oats
40g cornflakes (I use Crunchy Nut)
¼ tsp ground ginger
2 rasps of nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
125g cold unsalted butter, diced
85g demerara sugar
35g almonds, chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan.
First, make the crumble filling. Cut the rhubarb into 2 cm-batons and place in a bowl with the grated ginger. Cut the apples in half, then into quarters and remove the core. Cut the quarters in half again, then place in the bowl with the rhubarb and ginger. Add the sugar, salt, thyme and lemon zest and mix well, ensuring the rhubarb and apple are thoroughly coated. Set aside to allow the fruit to macerate for 20 minutes.
To make the crumble, add all the ingredients to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on slow speed until all the ingredients form a crumble. You can also do this by hand in a mixing bowl.
In a shallow ovenproof pan or baking dish, add the macerated rhubarb and apple, including all of the juice. Spread the fruit out evenly and top with the crumble, ensuring it covers every bit of fruit. This will lock the steam in and cook the fruit. Bake for 35–40 minutes. When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to sit for 15 minutes.
Serve the crumble with the thick, warm custard, and just soak up the vibe of contentedness!
Extracted from FOR THE LOVEOF FOOD by Paul Ainsworth(Harper Collins, £26.00 )