Pudding: Damson crumble with walnuts and crème Anglaise (Katie Riley)

Published: Monday, 15 October 2007, 3:15PM

INGREDIENTS

POACHED DAMSONS
450 g fresh damsons (or plums)
250 ml home-made damson gin
8 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
135 g sugar

THE CRUMBLE
175 g organic butter
225g flour (brown, white or mix of both)
100g sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
150g finely chopped walnuts
50 g roughly chopped walnuts
Zest of one large orange

CRÈME ANGLAISE
500 ml milk
Single cream
Vanilla pod
6 free range egg yolks
100 g sugar

TO SERVE
Tsp nutmeg
Fresh mint
Star anise


METHOD
1. Poach the damsons in the damson gin with a cinnamon stick and cloves for about 15 minutes. Add sugar to taste if necessary and leave to stand for 2 hours or overnight
2. To make the crumble, rub the butter, flour, sugar, finely chopped walnuts and mixed spice together in a bowl until crumbly.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and stones from the poached damsons and place the damson mixture in a pie dish and top with the crumble.
4. Bake in the oven at 140 degrees Celsius for 35-40 minutes.
5. For the custard, heat the milk, cream, vanilla pod seeds to scalding point.
6. In a bowl, whisk the sugar and yolks until creamy.
7. Pour the milk/cream mixture over the sugar/egg mixture whisking constantly and cook over a bain marie until it thickens.
8. 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time for the crumble, remove from the oven and sprinkle over the roughly chopped walnuts and orange zest before returning to the oven for the last few minutes.
9. Serve a spoonful of the crumble with the custard, decorate with mint, orange zest, spices and one or two fresh damsons