A Very Harry Christmas Day 12: Rhubarb Crumble with Custard Sauce

As soon as I saw a recipe for rhubarb in my Harry Potter Cookbook, I knew I would make it.  I'm still a Minnesota girl...rhubarb for me is like fried okra or fried green tomatoes for a Georgia girl.

This is a super simple recipe and its a "fix it and forget it" 15 minutes of cooking while the oven does the rest of the work.  How can you not love that!?  Let's get on it!

Rhubarb Filling
1 lb. frozen rhubarb
½ c. sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 tsp. baking soda

Crumble Topping
1 c. flour
1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ c. pecans, chopped
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ stick (4 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Custard Sauce
¼ c. sugar 
Pinch salt
1 T. cornstarch
1 c. whole milk and ½ cup heavy cream or 1½ cups milk
3 large egg yolks
1½ tsp. vanill

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Toss the rhubarb, sugar, lemon zest, and baking soda in a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

While the rhubarb is baking, make the Crumble Topping. Combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Remove the rhubarb from the oven, toss the rhubarb mixture one more time, and pour the topping into the center, spreading it to the edges with your fingers. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until the rhubarb bubbles over the edges.

For the custard, combine the sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the milk and cream and continue stirring until the cornstarch dissolves. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is hot but not bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring ½ cup of the hot mixture into the yolks while whisking the yolks constantly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan while stirring gently. Turn up the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and bubbling. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the custard through a sieve. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Serve the rhubarb custard warm with the hot custard.

Would you believe me if I told you this was spectacular?  I didn't think it would be.  I am used to rhubarb being paired with a sweet fruit (strawberry, raspberry, etc.), so I honestly dreaded even trying this.  But the custard sauce more than offsets any bitter/tart that was left in the rhubarb.  Its the perfect marriage of rich and sweet to tart and light.  The crumble on top didn't weigh this down either like I thought it would.  I was so glad that I took the leap on this one.  When I make it again, I'll double the recipe and serve it to a crowd!