Double-choc crumble pears with chocolate custard
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Double-choc crumble pears with chocolate custard
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Annie Bell
Annie started her career as a chef, and is now an award-winning food writer who has written more than a dozen cookbooks. Her recipes are always as beautiful as they are delicious.
Annie Bell
Annie started her career as a chef, and is now an award-winning food writer who has written more than a dozen cookbooks. Her recipes are always as beautiful as they are delicious.
Ingredients
For the custard:
- 400ml whole milk
- 4 medium egg yolks
- 100g milk chocolate, broken into pieces
- 150g dark chocolate (about 50% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
For the pears:
- 40g plain flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa, sifted
- 50g ground almonds
- 50g light muscovado sugar
- 50g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
- 50g dark chocolate chips
- 6 ripe Comice or Williams pears
Step by step
Make the custard the day before; chill. Prepare the crumble topping the day before; store in an airtight container in the fridge. The topping can also be frozen; defrost before using. Note: this recipe contains partially cooked eggs.
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To make the custard, bring the milk to the boil in a small pan. Put the egg yolks in a medium-sized heatproof bowl, then gradually pour the hot milk over them, whisking constantly until combined. Pass through a sieve into a clean bowl. Gently melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, then remove from the heat and whisk in the custard base, a quarter at a time, until you have a rich chocolate cream. Cover and leave to cool, then chill.
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Heat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Place the flour, cocoa, ground almonds, sugar and butter in a food processor and whiz until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the chocolate chips.
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Peel, halve and core the pears, and arrange cut-side up in a medium roasting tin or baking dish. Scatter the crumble over the top and bake for 40 minutes. Leave to stand for 10-15 minutes. Serve with the chilled chocolate custard.
TipTry a ginger-choc crumble topping, too – just substitute the cocoa for 1 tsp ground ginger.
