- 75g/3oz plain flour
- 75g/3oz butter
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 75g/3oz demerara sugar
- 6 ripe pears, peeled, cores removed, diced
- 110ml/4fl oz perry (pear cider)
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
- 200ml/7fl oz milk
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 free-range egg yolks
- 75g/3oz caster sugar
- 500g/1lb 2oz vanilla ice cream, to serve
- For the pear and perry crumble, preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
- Place the flour and 50g/2oz of the butter into a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the ground cinnamon and sugar.
- Tip the mixture onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until toasted and golden-brown.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a lidded frying pan until foaming, then add the pears. Fry for 1-2 minutes, then add the perry cider and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the pears are softened.
- Spoon the pear mixture into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle over the crumble topping. Bake in the oven for 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for the cinnamon custard, heat the cream, milk and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan until just boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5-6 minutes.
- Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl, then gradually add the warm cream mixture, whisking continuously. Return the custard mixture to the saucepan and cook over a low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Discard the cinnamon sticks.
- Serve the pear crumble in bowls with a spoonful of cinnamon custard and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.