Rhubarb crumble - Gregg Wallace's favourite and just right for this time of year

Rhubarb crumble served with homemade custard

Rhubarb crumble is Greg Wallace's 'favourite pudding of all time' and when you dig that spoon into that crunchy and crumbly topping with the sharp fragrant rhubarb you then know why! This pudding is highly underrated in my opinion, it's not until you make a batch that you remember why you loved it in the first place. This version is rather lovely and has the added twist of some stem ginger and stem ginger syrup but you can omit this and add an extra 25-50 g of caster sugar. It also has the bonus of being a simple dish to prepare and then cooked in the oven for 40 minutes or so.

Rhubarb from my mother's garden - thanks Mum!

Anyone that has seen Gregg on television on programmes such as MasterChef will have gathered that he is their puddings aficionado. Nothing pleases him more than a sublime and delicious pudding for him to sample and judge. In terms of my favourite cookery books, Gregg's favourite puddings (2010) http://www.amazon.co.uk/GREGGS-FAVOURITE-PUDDINGS-WALLACE-HARDBACK/dp/B00BO9URDQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371572595&sr=1-3&keywords=gregg%27s+favourite+puddings is definitely one I reach for when I want a reliable, reassuring, and sumptuous pudding! As well as plenty of wonderful pudding recipes he also includes basics such as icings, glazes, custards, sauces, pastries and so on. Other recipes I can recommend and that I have followed are his pavlova on page 130 (I always use whatever fruit is in season), Rum and raisin ice on page 150 (if you like this flavour you'll absolutely love this recipe!). Also his custard recipes (page 170) , chocolate sauce (page 175) and pastry recipes (pages 176-177) are all fail-safe stand-bys you can dip into as and when needed.

Being summer it's absolutely fitting then that I do include a nice seasonal recipe. Rhubarb crumble can be found on page 28 of Gregg's book.

Rhubarb crumble (Octopus Publishing Group Ltd 2010)

Serves 6
1 kg fresh rhubarb
125 g caster sugar
2 pieces of stem ginger, chopped
2 tbsp stem ginger syrup
For the crumble
250 g plain flour
125 g butter, diced
25 g caster sugar
25 g demerara sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Top and tail the rhubarb and remove any stringy skin. Cut the sticks into 2.5 cm lengths, place in a large ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the caster sugar. Add the stem ginger and stem ginger syrup.

   

   Prepared rhubarb

   
   
2. To make the crumble, sift the flour into a bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar.
3. Cover the rhubarb with the crumble mix and press down lightly. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar.
4. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot with custard.

Ready to bake in the oven

Golden brown straight from the oven

Cooking up some Quick Custard (page 170), stirring in the vanilla extract

If you want to serve your crumble with custard, and quite frankly who wouldn't, it's very easy to make your own. Here are instructions for Gregg's Quick Custard page 170, slightly less naughty than his proper variety, also to be found on that page, as it doesn't contain cream!

Quick Custard

Serves 2-4
2 egg yolks
1 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp caster sugar
300 ml milk
Half tsp vanilla extract

1. Beat egg yolks, cornflour and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy.
2. Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan, pour on to the egg mixture and stir. Return the mixture to the cleaned saucepan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
3. Add the vanilla extract, then strain. Serve warm.

Delicious rhubarb crumble and homemade custard

Next time: Coming soon my own recipe for strawberry mousse cups, perfect for Wimbledon and summer dining...