DESSERT – Spiced apple and chestnut crumble with clove custard

Ingredients
For the apples

12 apples, peeled and cored
1 vanilla pod
about 100g/3½oz sugar
200g/7oz fresh chestnuts, cooked and peeled (or vacuum-packed chestnuts)
about ½ tsp – 1 tsp spice mix (equal measures of ground white peppercorns, ground black peppercorns, ground nutmeg, ground ginger and half measure of ground cloves)
knob of butter

For the crumble

250g/9oz plain flour
200g/7oz sugar
200g/7oz cold butter, cut into cubes
150g/5¼oz flaked almonds

For the custard

500ml/17fl oz milk
6 cloves
6 free-range egg yolks
120g/4½oz caster sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
2. For the apples, slice three apples into cubes of ½cm/¼in. Place the apple pieces into a large saucepan with the vanilla pod and add sugar to taste. Cover the apple pieces with water and cook over a medium heat until soft, about five minutes. Mash the cubes with a fork to make a smooth sauce.
3. Slice the remaining apples and the chestnuts into bite-size pieces and place them into a clean bowl. Season the apples and chestnuts according to taste with the spice mix and mix the ingredients well.
4. Melt a knob of butter in a large frying pan. Place the apple and chestnut pieces into the pan and fry the ingredients at a medium heat for five minutes, or until the apple begins to soften and turn golden-brown.
5. Add the apples and chestnuts to the apple sauce in the saucepan. Cook the mixture for ten minutes at a medium heat, or until all the apples and chestnuts are soft.
6. For the crumble, place the flour and sugar into the bowl of a food processor and blend until the ingredients have combined. Gradually add the butter in small amounts while blending the mixture, until it has taken on a crumbly texture.
7. Place the mixture into clean bowl. Add the flaked almonds and mix well.
8. Place the crumble mixture onto a baking tray and spread it evenly across the tray. Transfer the baking tray to the preheated oven and cook until the mixture has turned golden-brown in colour.
9. Place the cooked apple and chestnut into six shallow, ovenproof bowls and cover with the smooth apple sauce, followed by the browned crumble mix. Transfer the bowls to the oven and cook for a further ten minutes.
10. For the custard, place the milk and the cloves into a saucepan and bring the milk to the boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Cover the saucepan with a lid and leave the mixture to infuse for ten minutes.
11. Put the egg and the sugar into a clean bowl and beat with a whisk until the mixture becomes thick with a creamy texture.
12. Remove the cloves from the milk and bring the milk back to the boil.
13. Gradually pour the milk into the bowl with the yolk mixture, while whisking vigorously.
14. Pour the mixture back into a clean saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring continuously with a spatula, until the custard thickens slightly.
15. Serve the crumble hot in individual portions with the clove custard on the side.

REGIONAL – Caerphilly cheese and thyme pastries

Ingredients

1 x 500g/1lb 1½oz packet ready-made puff pastry
200g/7¼oz Caerphilly cheese, grated
1 bunch thyme, leaves only

Method

1. Roll out the puff pastry onto a clean, floured surface into a 30 x 20cm (7.9 x 11.8in) rectangle, about 3mm thick.

2. Sprinkle the surface of the pastry with the Caerphilly cheese and thyme leaves.

3. Fold the two sides of the pastry into the middle and lightly press, before folding lengthways in half again. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to rest (and for ease of cutting).

4. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. When the pastry has rested, cut it into 5mm-thick square slices and place on a baking tray 3cm (1.2in) apart.

5. Cook in the oven for five minutes, before turning over and cooking for a further five minutes – the squares should be crisp and golden. Leave to cool before serving.