SHARE DESSERT - One more recipe for you to share with friends this weekend

Baked rhubarb served with macadamia crumble and vanilla ice cream

Serves 8

• 3 bunches rhubarb (approximately 1.5kg), trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 10cm pieces

• 1 cup raw sugar

• 1 cup apple juice

• 1 vanilla pod, scraped

• 1 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

• 1 cup shredded coconut

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 40 g butter, room temperature

• ½ cup plain flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• vanilla ice cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (360F). Spread the rhubarb pieces evenly over the base of 2 large baking dishes, sprinkle the raw sugar and apple juice evenly between the 2 trays. Add half of the vanilla pod and seeds to each tray and give them a gentle stir.

2. Loosely cover with foil and set aside.

3. To make the crumble, combine the nuts, coconut, brown sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl, rub together gently with your finger tips and then sprinkle over a lined baking tray.

4. Place the rhubarb and crumble trays into the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. The rhubarb should be tender but not falling apart and the crumble should be golden brown.

5. Serve the rhubarb and its syrup piled into a serving dish, the crumble on the side and a tub of the best quality vanilla ice cream. Let your guests assemble their own deconstructed rhubarb crumble with ice cream.

food dept. fact: Any left over crumble can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry for up to a month. Why not try stirring it through softened ice cream and serve with caramelized apples for another great winter dessert.

Recipes: Sally Courtney.