by Martin -

Vanilla Custard

This is a classic basic recipe for british custard. Some recipes do not call for thickening agent but this one is fool proof by using cornstarch. I personally do not like to struggle in the kitchen, so this makes making a custard so much easier than just expecting the eggs to thicken your custard. If you add even more cornstarch than mentioned in the recipe below, you can use the cream to fill cakes or donuts. However the basic recipe is quite runny and I love to use it with ice cream and pour over desserts and cakes of all kinds.

Ingredients (1 small jug)

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 20 g cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • 500 ml milk

Preparation

Bring the milk slightly below boiling point in small pot. Small bubbles should appear at the edges of the pot. In the mean time, mix the egg yolks with sugar in a bowl. Once the yolks are mixed, add the warm milk to the mixture in very small batches. If you rush this phase, the eggs may curdle, so take your time. Mix with a wire whisk after each addition until you use up all the milk.

Return the mixture to the pot. Start mixing over medium-high heat. The mixture should start thickening within couple of minutes. The custard can be used immediately, but we usually let it cool down to room temperature before serving. It can also be used straight from the fridge for couple of days.

We have used this custard also in our previous recipe for rhubarb crumble and we have loved this combination! Check the video below for step by step instructions. Please consider subscribing to our Youtube channel. Thank you!

by Martin -

Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb season is here! I love spring. It’s 20 degrees Celsius outside and you can see how everything starts to grow in the garden. I can already feel myself munching on first peppers or homegrown watermelons. But then the reality sinks in. It’s April and I will not taste my own peppers for at least two more months! Fortunately we have a hero to save the day. Rhubarb. Even though it’s technically a vegetable, in my mind it’s first fruit of the year that I can taste from my own production. Hooray!

Ingredients (1 small tray)

  • 800 g rhubarb
  • 160 g caster sugar
  • 80 g brown sugar
  • 200 g all-purpose flour
  • 120 g butter

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Rinse the rhubarb and chop into thumb sized pieces. Add the rhubarb to small baking dish, sprinkle with caster sugar and bake for 15 minutes.

While the rhubarb is being softened, we can go ahead and prepare the crumble topping. Add cubed cold butter to flour and rub between your fingertips. Add brown sugar and mix between fingers couple more times.

After 15 minutes in the oven, the rhubarb should be slightly softer and should have released some juice. Take the baking dish from the oven, sprinkle with topping and return to oven for about 45 more minutes or until golden. Every oven is different, so watch the crumble closely.

Once the crumble is nice and golden, take it out of the oven and let it cool. The crumble is best served at room temperature (or even straight from a fridge) with ice cream, whipped cream or vanilla custard. Recipe for our homemade custard is coming up next on the blog. The crumble is great even the second day and lasts up to three days in a fridge easily.

The whole process can be seen in video below. We have included a couple of shots from our humble garden. If you like the content. Please consider subscribing to our Youtube channel and giving us a like. Thank you!