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A bowl of rhubarb crumble, served with vanilla bean custard.

Rhubarb Crumble and Custard

Heather Smoke
Sweet and tart rhubarb crumble with cinnamon oat streusel, served with creamy vanilla bean custard.

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5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
 

Vanilla Bean Custard

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 ¼ cups whole milk
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3 egg yolks
  • ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Rhubarb Filling

  • 1 ½ lbs fresh rhubarb (or frozen and thawed), diced in 1/2 inch pieces
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Crumb Topping

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • ¾ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
  • ½ cup old-fashioned oats
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Instructions
 

Custard

  • In a saucepan whisk together the sugar, salt and cornstarch.  Gradually whisk in the milk and cream, then the egg yolks and scraped vanilla bean seeds.
  • Over medium heat, cook the custard, while whisking constantly, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
  • The custard can be served warm, but I prefer it chilled.  The cool, creamy custard spooned over the hot crumble is lovely.
  • Pour the custard into a lidded container and refrigerate until needed. Stir the custard until smooth before serving with the rhubarb crumble.

Filling

  • Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a deep dish pie pan or a 9 or 10-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
  • Toss all the filling ingredients together and spread into the pan.  Bake for 10 minutes while you make the crumble topping.

Topping

  • In a bowl (I just use the same one I mixed the filling in), combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt. Drizzle with the melted butter and stir until moistened and crumbly.
  • Remove the pan from the oven, and stir up the filling. Sprinkle the topping over the rhubarb.
  • Return the pan to the oven, and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.

Serving

  • Cool the rhubarb crumble for about 30 minutes.
  • Serve scoops of the warm crumble, with cool and creamy custard on the side.

Notes

  • Rhubarb crumble is best served warm, the day it's made, but it still tastes good the next day, even cold.  Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated, and eaten within 2 days.
  • Refrigerate the leftover custard and eat within 1 week.
  • Recipe is adapted from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook.
Keyword Crumbles and Crisps, Custard, Rhubarb, Vanilla Bean
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