One of the pleasures of spring is fresh rhubarb, made here into a sweet-tart ambrosial sauce with orange liqueur, an exquisite pairing with richly flavored almond biscuits.

Mouth-watering!

INGREDIENTS

For the Filling
1 ½ pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut into ½ inch pieces
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

For the Shortcake
¼ cup blanched whole almonds or 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into about 10 pieces
¼ cup whole or lowfat milk

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

1. To make the filling, combine the rhubarb with the sugar and ½ cup water in a medium-large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is tender but still hold some of its shape, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the liqueur, and cool to room temperature. (The rhubarb mixture can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat in a microwave to return to a sauce-like consistency.)

2. To make the shortcake, preheat the oven to 425F.

3. Combine the almonds and two sugars in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine. Distribute the butter over the flour mixture and pulse until most of the butter is the size of small peas. With the motor running, slowly pour the milk through the feed tube, stopping just when the dough begins to come together. Scrape out onto a lightly floured board, gather the dough together, knead a couple of times, and roll or pat the dough until about ¾ inch thick. Using a 2 ¾- or 3-inch cutter, cut out 4 biscuits, recutting scraps if necessary. Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet at least 1 ½ inches apart. (The biscuits can be made 3 hours ahead and stored, loosely covered, in the refrigerator.)

4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown. Cool slightly on a rack.

5. To serve, split the biscuits with a serrated knife. Place the bottoms on serving plates, spoon about half the rhubarb mixture over, and replace the tops. Spoon the remaining rhubarb over and top with dollops of whipped cream.

Serve 4.