There are few deserts as easy as a crumble to prepare, and this almond and pear crumble is not only that… but also delicious! It tastes like Christmas!
My Mom and I went to a lovely farmers’ market a couple of years ago; it was a glorious day and we were surrounded by lavender fields, little stalls were selling their products and we just enjoyed trying all of the freebies.
We inevitably returned home with multiple little bags filled with artisanal products, from cheese, bread, little home décor items (lavender themed), and obviously the unmissable jams and curds.
We bought strawberry and champagne jam, traditional lemon curd, and chunky orange marmalade – delicious!
Amongst all of those perfect little jars, there was one that stole my attention: pear and cardamom jam. I tasted it on a little water cracker and it blew my mind! The flavor was full, the sweetness of the pear and the smell of the cardamom made this jam simply divine.
Jay is not a fruit person – he has those two or three fruits he will not complain about eating and thankfully he loves pears, so, as I was thinking of cooking a dessert we could both enjoy and would not break my calorie bank, this jam came to my mind, but I didn’t want the taste to fall flat among too many others, nor the whole dessert to have the same consistency, as a bit of crunch is always appreciated!
The health benefits of almonds are known, as almonds nutrition facts are all over health magazines, so, I decided they would be part of the crunch, without exaggerating, as they are as healthy as calorific!
Loved by both of us and guests who tried it, this crumble is easy and quick to prepare, store, and presents beautifully… hope you enjoy it!
~~ Warm yourself up with a portion of this crumble and a cup of cutting chai!
Ingredients
For the fruit base
- 400 g Peeled and Diced Pears
- 4 tsp Sweetener
- 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
For the Crumble Topping
- 40 g Unsalted Butter
- 80 g All-Purpose Flour
- 8 tsp Sweetener
- 4 tsp Flaked Almonds
For the Custard
- 600 ml Semi Skimmed Milk
- 8 Whole Green Cardamoms
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
- 4 tsp Sweetener
- 70 g All-Purpose Flour
Instructions
- To start, prepare the cardamom infusion for the custard; take the cardamoms and open them, then put them in a pot with the milk. Put the pot over medium heat and warm until the milk is warm and steaming, but not boiling, then switch off the heat and set aside to infuse for 20-30 minutes.
- While the milk cools down, prepare the fruit base; put the pear cubes, sweetener, and vanilla essence in a bowl and mix well. Once the pears are all well coated, divide them into four equal parts and plate them in four separate, mono portion ramekins.
- In another bowl prepare the crumble topping; put the butter and flour together and mix with hands until big clumps of well mixed, uniform dough form. Once these big clumps are formed, add the sweetener and flaked almonds, mix well, then sprinkle in equal parts on top of the four pear filled ramekins. These are now ready to be baked in an oven preheated to 170 degrees Celsius (fan oven - or gas 5, or 190 degrees Celsius static oven) for 30 minutes covered with foil, then for a further 20-30 minutes uncovered, until the crumble topping is browned and the sweetened juices of the pears are bubbling.
- While this bakes, finish preparing the custard. In a bowl mix together the egg yolks, vanilla essence, and sugar until uniform, then add the flour and mix well.
- Filter the cardamom-infused milk to remove the cardamom pieces and seeds, then put back in the pot and warm up again; once steaming, slowly start adding it to the egg mixture, while whisking to get a smooth, silky custard.
- Add the still liquid custard to the pot used before for the milk and bring to the boil, while stirring with a spoon, preferably wooden, until of the desired consistency.
- Serve the custard with the crumble!
