Ice Cream Sundae with Crumbled Ginger and Pistachio Biscuit and Ginger Caramel Sauce

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a large oven tray with baking paper. Ginger and pistachio biscuit: Beat butter with brown sugar and golden syrup until pale. 

Dissolve baking soda in 1 tablespoon of boiling water and add to the butter, beat to combine. 

Sift in the flour, ground ginger and salt and beat briefly again to combine. Tip the mixture out on to the prepared tray and roll out to approximately 30cm x 27cm. Flatten the mixture with the palms of your hands to make it nice and thin. Sprinkle with crystallised ginger and pistachios and press gently into the surface. 

Bake for 12–15 minutes until deeply golden. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for five minutes, then carefully slide on to a cooling rack. 

As soon as the biscuit starts to firm up remove the baking paper so it can cool completely. Break into shards to serve. 

Ginger caramel sauce: Put the caster sugar in a clean pot with ⅓ cup of water and whisk to combine. 

Bring to a simmer, whisking to dissolve the sugar, then don’t stir again. Heat the cream separately until just hot, not boiling (either in the microwave or another pot is fine). 

Use a small pastry brush to wipe down any excess sugar from the sides of the saucepan and continue heating until the sugar first becomes white and crystallised, then starts to
turn a light amber. 

To combine the sugar and encourage even caramelisation, give the pot a gentle swirl. As soon as it is an even light amber, remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the hot cream ¼ cup at a time. It will froth up madly, but keep whisking and it will settle down.

Add the butter, ground ginger and fresh ginger and whisk until smooth. Pour into a clean jar and store in the fridge until ready to use. Reheat by microwaving briefly or on the stovetop. (Makes about 1¼ cups.) 

To serve: Scoop ice cream into serving bowls and pour over the ginger caramel sauce. Serve with the shards of ginger and pistachio sheet biscuit. Serves 8–10.