Rhubarb fool with ginger shortbread

A MOREISH PUD MADE WITH A DREAM TEAM OF FLAVOURS

Serves 4

80g unsalted butter, at room temperature 80g plain flour 1 tsp ground ginger 30g icing sugar 30g cornflour

For the fool:

500g rhubarb 150g sugar 1 tbsp vanilla extract 250ml double cream

1 First make the shortbread: cream the butter until soft and pale. Sift over the flour, ground ginger, icing sugar and cornflour and beat until well mixed.

2 Tip the dough onto cling film and use this to shape into a roll, 5cm in diameter. Place in the fridge to rest for a couple of hours – you need a firm, cool dough.

3 Preheat oven to 190C/Fan 170C/ Gas 5. Lightly grease a baking tray. Slice the rested dough into 12 evenly sized biscuits and space them out on the baking tray.

4 Bake for 10 mins until firm and lightly browned. Leave the oven on, for your rhubarb, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5 Trim and chop the rhubarb into 2cm lengths. Tip into a roasting tin and scatter over the sugar and vanilla extract. Cover with foil and bake for 45 mins to 1 hour, until tender.

6 Drain the juice from the fruit and simmer this in a small saucepan on the hob, until reduced by half. Leave juice to cool at room temperature. Refrigerate the rhubarb until cool.

7 Whip the double cream until thick. Fold in half the fruit, loosening with a splash of the juice if necessary.

8 Spoon the fool into glass bowls or glasses, topping with spoonfuls of rhubarb and drizzling with juice. Serve with ginger shortbread.