Last week I did a very grown-up thing: my fiancé and I bought a house. It’s a 1960s terraced ex-council home with some unfortunate décor choices and awkward layout, but it’s ours and that’s a great start. We’re already living there, so there’s no immediate move to worry about. Owning the place means we can slowly fix the mess—strip wallpaper, update the kitchen and bathroom, and deal with the most intricately patterned artex ceiling I’ve ever seen (painted peach, no less). Renovations will be a slow, sometimes frustrating process and some improvements will need saving for, so my unreliable oven will have to remain part of the furniture for now.
Autumn has arrived with a crispness in the air and wind that rustles the trees. The garden is generous this year and I’ve been collecting cooking apples straight from the branches. I also had several leftover egg yolks from making meringues (recipe coming soon), and egg yolks are perfect for custard-based ice creams. This apple crumble ice cream captures the flavours of a classic crumble: tangy cooked apple, warm cinnamon, creamy vanilla custard and plenty of crisp buttery crumble folded through for contrast. The apple is cooked and pureed, blended with a sweet custard, churned, then mixed with baked crumble pieces for a dessert that feels like autumn in a bowl.
Apple Crumble Ice Cream
Ingredients
Apples:
- About 550g tart apples (19.5oz) unprepared weight, Bramleys are best
- 25 g (2 tbsp) butter
- 50 g (¼ cup + 1 tsp) light brown soft sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Custard:
- 300 ml (1 + ¼ cups) double cream
- 300 ml (1 + ¼ cups) full fat milk
- 120 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) caster sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Crumble:
- 120 g (1 cup) plain flour
- 65 g (¼ cup) butter
- 65 g (⅓ cup) sugar
Instructions
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Peel, core and dice the apples. Place them in a pan with the butter, sugar, cinnamon and a splash of water. Simmer for 10–15 minutes until the apples are very soft. The mixture should be fairly dry; add a splash more water only if needed. Puree the cooked apples with a stick blender until completely smooth. Cover and set aside to cool.
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Pour the cream into a large bowl and place a fine mesh sieve over the top. Heat the milk and sugar in a saucepan until just coming to the boil.
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Whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Slowly pour the hot milk into the yolks while whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the pan.
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Cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until the custard thickens. Be careful not to overheat or it may scramble. Strain the custard through the sieve into the cream and whisk to combine. Stir in the vanilla, a pinch of salt and the apple puree. Cover and chill until completely cold.
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While the custard cools, make the crumble. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Put the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles wet sand. Stir in the sugar.
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Spread the crumble mix in a thin layer on a baking tray, pressing down gently but not packing it tightly. Bake for 10–15 minutes until golden. Remove and leave to cool; it will crisp up as it cools.
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Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream machine following the manufacturer’s instructions. About a minute before the churn finishes, add most of the crumble, breaking up any large pieces so they distribute through the ice cream.
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Transfer the ice cream to a lidded container, sprinkle the remaining crumble over the top and freeze until firm. Serve scoops topped with extra crumble if you like.
