rhubarb & shortbread cookie sundaes.

being in charge of dessert for an impromptu sunday dinner at my parents this weekend sparked the hamster to start running full speed on that little wheel stored in paulie's giant heed, and the result was effing delicious. after shooting down my idea to make pizzelle 'funnel cakes' with ricotta whipped cream and fresh strawberries, i left the plan and execution of what he was convinced would be the better choice up to him. now i'm not saying he was right, but i'm not saying he was wrong either.

how we do: rhubarb & shortbread cookie sundaes

{serves 4}

prep time: 5 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

you will need:

3 stalks of rhubarb

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

1/3 cup of orange juice

2 teaspoons of sugar

vanilla ice cream

8 shortbread cookies

wash and chop 3 rhubarb stalks into small, even pieces, and add to a frying pan on medium-high heat. grate 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger and add it to the rhubarb, as well as 1/3 cup of orange juice (freshly squeezed or from a carton) and 2 teaspoons of sugar, and allow it to cook until the rhubarb softens to the consistency of a chunky jam.

while your rhubarb is sautéing, get 4 shortbread cookies into a ziploc bag and pound into a crumble, with a nice mix of fine and coarse pieces, this will be the topping for your sundae. when your rhubarb mixture is ready and still hot, scoop a tablespoon into the bottom of each sundae glass or bowl you are serving from. add 2 big, round scoops of creamy vanilla ice cream, a second dollop of rhubarb, the shortbread cookie crumble on top and a full shortbread cookie for garnish and scooping.

the rhubarb sauce is a nice mix of tart, tangy and citrusy, which is lovely with the cool creaminess of the ice cream and rich, buttery flavour from the shortbread -- the fact that they're so pretty is an absolute bonus. change things up by adding fresh strawberries or blackberries to the rhubarb mix or a tasty orange liqueur like grand marnier. shit son.