Gingered Rhubarb with Banana and Apricot Bread

Rhubarb:
2 Bunches Red Spring Rhubarb
225g (8 oz.) Sugar
2 pieces Stem Ginger with some of the syrup
Grated Zest and juice of 1 Orange
3 Tablespoons Water

Banana and Apricot Bread:
225g (8oz.) Self-raising Flour
½ teaspoon of salt
110g (4 oz.) Butter
175g (6 oz.) Castor Sugar
175g (6 oz.) Dried Apricots
60g (2 oz.) Walnuts
2 Eggs
450g (1 lb.) Very ripe Bananas.

First make the Banana Bread.

Mix the flour with the salt and sugar. Cut the butter into small dice and rub into the flour.
Beat the eggs and then mash up thoroughly with the bananas.
Stir this into the flour mixture.
Chop the Apricots into little dice and roughly chop the walnuts.
Fold these into the mixture.
Line a 2lb loaf tin with some non-stick paper and spoon in the mixture.
Cook at Gas 4 180C 360F for one hour.
When cooked it should be brown on top and moist but not raw in the centre.

Put the sugar, orange, and water in a pot and bring to a simmer.
Dice the stem ginger into little pieces and add this with a little of the syrup to the pot.Simmer together for a minute to make a syrup.
Cut the Rhubarb into ½ ins. pieces and poach these in the syrup until tender but still hold their shape, this only takes 4 to 5 mts.
In fact you can take them off the heat and pour them into a cool bowl when they are still slightly al dente. They will continue to cook as they cool.

Served with slices of the Banana and Apricot Bread, and maybe some low fat Fromage Frais this makes a reasonably healthy dessert.