Sweet treats: Looking for something new? Try this mango crumble with chai custard

If you love a good cup of chai and want to kick your crumble up a notch, why not make this mango crumble served with a chai infused custard.

“There’s nothing more comforting than a crumble – sweet indulgence at its finest – and pairing it with warming chai spice,” says MasterChef finalist and cookbook writer Philli Armitage-Mattin.

“I love a cup of chai and for this recipe I make the custard by infusing the milk with beautiful chai spices.”

If you love trying new recipes, you’ll find even more here.

Mango crumble with chai custard

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 4 mangoes, about 600g, peeled and diced
• 60g sugar
• 1tsp ground cinnamon

For the crumble topping:

• 150g plain flour
• 70g sugar
• ½tsp salt
• 100g butter, at room temperature, diced

For the chai creme anglaise (custard):

• 300ml whole milk
• 300ml double cream
• 1 vanilla pod, split and scraped, or 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cinnamon stick or ½tsp ground cinnamon
• 6 x 5mm slices of ginger
• 2 black tea bags
• 2 star anise (optional)
• 2 cloves (optional)
• 2 cardamom pods (optional)
• 3 egg yolks
• 6tbsp sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven) 428F, gas mark 6.
2. Put the mangoes, sugar, ground cinnamon and 50ml of water in a saucepan and heat for five minutes until all the sugar is dissolved. Then place in your oven dish.
3. Place the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a bowl and crumble together using the tips of your fingers until all the butter is incorporated and it’s a crumbly texture.
4. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the mango and cook in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until the topping looks golden and the edges are bubbling.
5. Make the chai custard by heating the milk and cream in a saucepan with all the spices and tea bags over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until a caramel colour and smelling fragrant.
6. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Then use a sieve to strain the infused milky cream over the yolks, in three additions, whisking in between.
7. Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan and whisk while cooking it over a low heat until thickened – it should just coat the back of a spoon. Keep the custard on the lowest setting if serving immediately. If serving later, pour into a heatproof container and cover with cling film so that the film touches the custard, otherwise you’ll get a skin.
8. Once the crumble topping begins to brown, remove the crumble from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving with the hot chai custard.

Taste Kitchen: Asia: Six Flavours To Suit Every Taste by Philli Armitage-Mattin is published by Robinson, priced £26. Photography by Phoebe Pearson. Available September 1.