Summer Custard Crumble Bars

Work all day.  Bake all night.  A little bit of class in between.  Life is busy, but good- mostly because I can feed what I bake to the people I work and learn with.  They are gratifyingly appreciative.  Recently, my recipes are built around produce I buy on a crazy impulse from Farmboy (I mean... I can't even eat raw peaches but I bought 4 this week).  Other additions have been desperate attempts to use up the ends of  ingredients in my disorganized pantry before I move.  I don't want to bring 50 grams of this and that; I know the bags will surely tear in the move, and I'll find ant colonies thriving off the sunflower seeds or brown sugar in the nooks and crannies of my various utensils for months after.  Maybe that's an exaggeration, but I don't want to risk the mess.

This all brings me to the recipe of the week. I don't post everything I make, but be assured I bake on a regular basis for one of my classes.  Students are hungry folk.  I had the previously mentioned peaches mellowing on my counter, and in this heat I was sure the mellowing would soon turn to sweltering and eventually disintegrating if I didn't do something with them.  Based on a recipe I developed for a mango pie over the weekend, I used my perfectly ripe peaches to make a sort of peach custard and poured it over a very simple oat shortbread crust.  The whole ensemble was topped off with a buttery brown sugar, oat and sunflower seed crumble- an attempt to echo the flavours of my mother's baked peaches.  The sunflower seeds added an earthy element, a kind of summer-fields feel, but some said they would prefer them without, and I would agree that they are fun but unnecessary unless you adore them (which I do).



Summer Custard Crumble Bars
makes one 9x13 inch pan- 24 decent sized squares

200 g butter (7 tbsp)- frozen
100 g flour (about 2/3 cup)
100 g oats (about 2/3 cup)
50 g sugar (1/4 cup)
1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup water
1 hefty tbsp cornstarch
5 ripe peaches, peeled and chopped roughly
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
75 g sugar (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 tsp salt

50 g oats (about 1/3 cup)
25 g flour (about 3 tbsp)
50 g butter (hefty 3 tbsp)
50 g sunflower seeds (1/3 cup, and optional)

1  Preheat the oven to 350 F
2  In a blender, combine the oats, flour, sugar and salt until fine
3  Grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture and rub the mixture with your fingers until it is crumbly- then press into a 9x13 inch baking pan with a removable bottom or lined with foil or parchment for easy removal
4  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown and the centre looks baked
5  While the crust bakes, stir together the water and cornstarch until smooth, then add with all the ingredients from peaches through to the second 1/4 tsp of salt in a blender until completely smooth- once the crust is smooth, pour the creamy fruit mixture over it
6  In a small bowl, rub together the second measure of oats and flour, the brown sugar and the butter until nice and crumbly- sprinkle evenly over the custard and base
7  Return the pan to the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the centre hardly jiggles and isn't wet on top- but you also don't want it to be completely set and solid
8  Remove to a cooling rack and let cool until room temperature, then either remove with the help of the foil/parchment, or slice in the tray and remove piece by piece (removing with the foil can be tricky and buckle the pastry so be careful)

This dessert was well received, the only criticism (to my face) being the sunflower seeds.  As with most recipes I make, certain parts can be swapped for others- mango for the peaches being the one I've tried.  My mother always serves baked peaches with something cool and creamy, so I would recommend serving big honkin squares of this with whipped cream or good vanilla ice cream.  I have yet to try it warm because 1) it is 35 C out and 2) I like the way the flavours meld in most bar recipes; but I trust serving it warm would be delightful.  Especially if you're in a rush and don't have time for it to cool.  I am off to read a novel, but if you read this, off to the market with you to get some seasonal fruit to give this a try!