Ingredients
For the pastry
225g/8oz plain flour
100g/3½oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
25g/1oz caster sugar
1 free-range egg, plus 1 free-range egg, beaten, for egg wash
1 tbsp milk, to bind
For the filling
500g/1lb 2oz rhubarb stalks, trimmed, cut into 5cm/2in pieces
pinch ground star anise
pinch ground ginger
150g/5½oz caster sugar
1 orange, juice only
For the crumble topping
150g/5½oz plain flour
150g /5½oz demerara sugar
150g/5½oz unsalted butter
pinch ground cinnamon
hot custard, to serve
Method
1. For the pastry, grease a 20cm/8in loose-bottomed cake tin with butter.
2. In a food processor, blend the flour, butter, sugar, egg and milk in a blender until the mixture is well combined and comes together as a dough. (Add a little more milk or flour as necessary to make the pastry less dry or less sticky.)
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball using your hands. Roll out the dough until it is slightly larger than the diameter of the cake tin.
4. Line the prepared tart case with the pastry, then chill in the fridge for two hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. When the pastry has chilled, line it with baking parchment and fill with ceramic baking beans. Bake the pastry for 15-20 minutes, then remove the pastry case from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
6. Remove the baking parchment and beans from the pastry case and brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Return the pastry to the oven and cook for a further 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
7. Meanwhile, for the filling, heat the rhubarb, star anise, ginger, sugar and orange juice in a pan over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes, or until the rhubarb is just tender. Spoon the mixture into the pastry case.
8. For the crumble topping, in a bowl, rub together the flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the topping mixture on top of the filling. Bake the crumble pie in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the crumble is golden-brown.
9. To serve, place a slice of the rhubarb crumble pie into the centre of each of eight serving plates. Pour over the custard.
