Fruit Crumble with Custard

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F /gas 6. Meanwhile peel and core the fruit, and chop it into chunks. Put it into a saucepan with about 3 tbsp sugar and 4 tbsp water. Bring to the boil and let it cook gently for a few minutes so that it should be a bit soft but not mushy.
2. Add the spices if you like them and put the fruit into an oven dish
3. Sieve the flour into a large bowl.
4. Cut the butter into chunks and rub it into the flour with your fingertips.
5. When it looks like breadcrumbs, mix in the sugar and a little extra spice if you like. Spread the crumble topping over the fruit so that it is completely covered.
6. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 – 30 minutes. When it is ready, the crumble should be starting to turn pale golden brown.
7. For the custard: Put the milk into a small pan and heat gently.
8. Meanwhile, separate the yolks and put them into a small bowl.
   (Keep the whites for another use)
9. Add the sugar, cornflour, water and vanilla to the yolks and stir till there are no lumps.
10. When the milk is boiling, carefully pour it over the yolk mixture. Use a whisk to stir it thoroughly. Then pour everything back into the pan and whisk over a low heat until it has thickened. Don’t let it boil or you’ll have scrambled eggs!