Ingredients

• 450g/1lb rhubarb
• 200ml/7fl oz orange juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
• 125g/4oz caster sugar
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• broken in half
• 1 vanilla pod
• split
• 75g/2¾oz plain flour
• 50g/2oz demerara sugar
• 50g/2oz flaked almonds
• pinch ground cinnamon
• 50g/2oz butter
• unsalted
• hot custard

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
• Cut the rhubarb into 5cm/2in pieces and lay in a 22cm/9in square ovenproof dish.
• Meanwhile place the orange juice
• sugar
• star anise
• cinnamon and vanilla pod into a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid thickens to a syrup
• then pour the syrup over the rhubarb.
• For the topping
• place the flour
• sugar
• almonds and cinnamon into a bowl and mix well. Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Sprinkle the topping over the rhubarb and transfer to the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes
• or until the topping is golden-brown.
• To serve
• spoon out generous portions of the rhubarb crumble into bowls and serve with custard.