Pear and Almond Crumble with Cardamom Infused Custard

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!

Recipe

Pear and Almond Crumble with Cardamom Infused Custard

Elle

Loved by both of us and guests who tried it, this crumble is quick and easy to prepare, store, and presents beautifully… hope you enjoy it!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Resting time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, british, Italian

Servings 4 portions

Calories 398 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

For the fruit base

• 400 g Peeled and Diced Pears
• 4 teaspoon Sweetener
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

For the Crumble Topping

• 40 g Unsalted Butter
• 80 g All-Purpose Flour
• 8 teaspoon Sweetener
• 4 teaspoon Flaked Almonds

For the Custard

• 600 ml Semi Skimmed Milk
• 8 Whole Green Cardamoms
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
• 4 teaspoon 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!

Notes

In this recipe, as there is no rising factor in the baking part, sugar can be substituted with sweetener, saving loads of calories for a one-off dessert.

I used Conference Pears for this recipe, as they are at their best in autumn. Other varieties can be used, just ensure they are ripe but still firm to the touch, to still have a bit of a bite while eating.

Should you wish, you can use apples instead of pears, but note the consistency and sweetness will be different; in this case, I would recommend using eating apples such as Gala.

Feel free to add some berries to add color and texture to the crumble - a good idea may be a handful of blackberries!

The crumble can be prepared in one large baking tray instead of single-portion ramekins, although serving control, in that case, may be a bit tricky. Whenever I can, I try to make higher calorie foods (or the ones I know I lose my control over), in single-portion pots, pans or plates, so to ensure I stick to one share.

The crumbles can be prepared one day ahead and can be reheated; ensure you store your crumbles in the fridge once they get to room temperature. The crumbles can be frozen for up to three months either still raw or already cooked.

You can prepare the custard one day in advance as well; when reheating on the day, bring it back to a warm temperature gently and if it goes too thick, add a tiny amount of milk, while continuously stirring through.

Remember to recalculate your calories if you are counting them and making any amendments to the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 398kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 11gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 77mgPotassium: 401mgFiber: 5gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 525IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 216mgIron: 2mg

Keyword almonds, cardamom, crumble, dessert, healthy dessert, low calorie, pear

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