Strawberry Rhubarb Snap

I heard this story about rhubarb the other day on NPR. This farmer in Pennsylvania says most Americans are dismissive when it comes to rhubarb. Another fellow in the story even goes as far to say, "I'll probably just buy it and let it rot in my refrigerator."

I found this outrageous! Who could be so effin' cruel as to ignore celery's red headed cousin?

"Why," I thought, "I've cooked rhubarb hundreds, well, dozens of...huh. Actually, never." Which is weird because I went through an En Vogue listening, cinched jeans wearing, pie making phase in the 90's. Surely some rhubarb must have made it into the mix. Nope. Never. Not a once. I think I was a little intimidated by it. Well, intimidation be damned!

The next day I bounced over to the Union Square green market and scored a bunch. In the radio story, the farmer says he makes a sauce with rhubarb and maple syrup then pours it on ice cream. So that's what I did. I paired it with strawberry ice cream so it would mimic the perennial favorite, strawberry rhubarb pie. Alas, something was missing.

The syrup gave the rhubarb sauce a woodsy, earthiness while the strawberries 'n cream were 100% sun-on-your-cheeks summer. It needed to come together. It needed....

A ginger snap! Et voila, harmonie!

Oh, snap.

Strawberry Rhubarb Snap

Sauce

1 c chopped rhubarb

1/4 c maple syrup (or more to taste)

1/4 c water

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and cook down until the rhubarb melts. Sauce will be slightly thick and pulpy and good. Serve with strawberry ice cream and a ginger snap.