Recipes
TIPSY LAIRD
INGREDIENTS:
2 trays of Lady fingers (see Note below)
1 small jar of raspberry jam (1 to 2 cups), seedless preferred.
6 to 8 ounces of a good sherry (not cooking sherry)
1 tablespoon of brandy or Drambuie (my preference)
Vanilla pudding (recipe follows) **Make this ahead of time and allow to cool.
3 to 4 cups of fresh raspberries
2 bananas (optional)
½ pint of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of sugar
Toasted almonds (optional)
PREPARATION:
In a trifle dish, clear glass bowl, or a glass casserole dish, place the lady fingers in a row, standing them against the edge of the dish, place a layer on the bottom of the bowl, it may be necessary to tear or cut them to fit the bottom.
Gently spread a thin layer of raspberry jam on the lady fingers, it is sometimes easier to place the jam on the cake and then position them but your hands do get sticky. It depends on what type of dish you are using.
Mix the sherry and brandy (or Drambuie) together and sprinkle over the bottom layer allowing it to soak in. You can use a spoon to do this.
On top of this layer add a layer of fresh raspberries and banana slices.
Top with cooled pudding.
Repeat steps for all layers until you reach the top of your dish finishing with the pudding layer.
Next whip the heavy cream, add sugar to sweeten and spoon on top of the last layer of custard. Decorate the top with toasted almonds and/or fresh raspberries.
Serves 8 to 10 people depending on serving sizes.
NOTES:
These can also be assembled in individual parfait glasses or dessert cups. Make sure you have adequate refrigerator room to store these until serving time though.
Lady fingers are alternately called sponge biscuits or fingers. If you cannot find them at the grocery you could use thinly sliced sponge cake or pound cake as a substitute.
If children, pregnant women, or individuals who do not drink, are present at the supper I make a separate trifle for them using orange juice instead of the alcohol, just make sure no one mixes them up!
VANILLA PUDDING RECIPE
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups (840 ml) whole milk
1/3 cup (65 grams) plus 3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated white sugar
1/4 cup (30 grams) cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (15 grams) unsalted butter
PREPARATION:
In a large stainless steel, or heatproof bowl whisk together:
The 1/3 cup of sugar, cornstarch, salt, eggs, and egg yolk. Whisk in 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the milk. Set aside while you heat the rest of the milk and sugar.
It is best to use the double boiler method to heat the milk and sugar or place a smaller pan inside a larger pan of gently boiling water to avoid scorching the mixture. You will need for the smaller pan to be large enough to hold the entire mixture in the end.
Pour the remaining 3 cups (720 ml) of milk, along with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, into the saucepan and bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Slowly pour a small amount, about 1 cup, of the hot mixture in a thin stream into the egg mixture, whisking briskly to avoid cooking the egg. Then add the tempered egg mixture in the same way back into the milk and sugar mixture whisking constantly until it is smooth. Return the pan to the boiling water bath and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. If necessary, pour through a strainer to remove any lumps that may have formed during cooking.
Cool completely, you may want to place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the top of the pudding to prevent it from forming a “skin”.
VEGETARIAN HAGGIS
INGREDIENTS:
100g/4 oz onion (1 half medium), peeled & finely chopped
15ml/1 tbsp sunflower oil
50g/2oz ( 2 large) carrots grated
35g/1 1/2 oz ( ½ cup) mushrooms, finely chopped
50g/2oz red lentils (dry)
600ml/1pint vegetable stock
25g/1oz mashed, tinned red kidney beans (drain first)
35g/1 &1/2 oz ground peanuts
25g/1 oz ground hazelnuts
30ml/2 tbsp soy sauce
15ml/1 tbsp lemon juice
7.5ml/1&1/2 tsp dried thyme
5ml/1 tsp dried rosemary
generous pinch cayenne pepper
200g/8oz( 1 cup) regular oatmeal **Not quick cooking** ( grind in a blender or food processor to a medium fine texture)
Freshly ground black pepper
PREPARATION:
Pre-heat the oven to 190°C, 375°F or Gas Mark 5
Sauté the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, then add the carrot and mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes
Add the lentils and three quarters of the stock.
Blend the mashed red kidney beans in the remaining stock, add these to the pan with the nuts, soy sauce, lemon juice and seasonings.
Cook everything, well mixed together, for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the oatmeal, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, adding a little extra liquid if necessary.
Turn the mixture into a lightly oiled 1lb loaf tin or casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes. Turn out onto a platter and garnish with greens such as parsley or curly kale.
CRANACHAN
This is a very traditional Scottish dessert and there are many ways to accomplish the end result and many variations thereof, these are the basics.
INGREDIENTS:
Fresh raspberries
Sweetened whipped cream (try using brown sugar to sweeten)
Toasted Oatmeal
Good Scotch whisky or Drambuie
Good quality honey, orange blossom, lavender, heather, or wildflower. You are looking for a mild floral quality to the honey, if you can get Scottish honey all the better!
Shortbread cookies (Recipe follows or use commercial)
Oatmeal may be toasted either in a heavy skillet or placed in a low oven. Scatter it in a thin layer and watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t burn. You want a light brown color and crunchy texture. Do NOT use instant oatmeal from a packet!
PREPARATION:
These should be assembled individually shortly before they are consumed.
Layer each parfait glass or dessert dish with roughly crumbled shortbread cookies, raspberries, a few teaspoons of whisky or Drambuie, a drizzle of slightly warmed honey, then whipped cream and top off with a sprinkle of the toasted oatmeal.
Now, like I said, there are a multitude of variations. You can fold the honey, whisky, and raspberries together with the whipped cream, sprinkle with oatmeal, garnish with a few berries and serve with the shortbread cookies on the side. You could puree and strain part of the raspberries, sweeten with the honey, add the whisky and layer the shortbread, puree, whole berries, and whipped cream with the oatmeal. Some people prefer mascarpone cheese instead of the cream. Cranachan can be made with no alcohol as well for children or anyone preferring not to indulge. You can’t go wrong no matter how you combine these ingredients, so create your own and enjoy!
SCOTCH SHORTBREAD
INGREDIENTS:
½ pound COLD butter (NO substitute)
Either salted or unsalted is fine, if using unsalted add a pinch of salt to the flour
½ cup confectioners sugar
1 ½ cups sifted all purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
PREPARATION:
Cream butter, add sugar and blend in. Sift flour and cornstarch together and slowly add to butter and sugar mixture incorporating each addition well but with as little effort as possible, best done by hand. Resulting dough will be slightly crumbly but moldable.
Dough may be gently patted into a shortbread mold or formed into a circle, square, or rectangle on a parchment lined baking sheet. Usual thickness is approximately ¾ inch for an 8 inch circle. Prick with a fork in a decorative pattern, edges may be decoratively pinched as well similar to a pie crust.
Using methods such as rolling out to make cut out shapes is greatly discouraged as this tends to overwork the dough and make it tough due to the addition of flour to prevent sticking.
Bake at 325 degrees until just slightly browned on edges. Watch closely!
Remove from baking sheet using parchment paper to transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, or preferably a pizza cutter, carefully cut into pieces while still warm and leave to cool completely.
Yield depends on size of pieces; this is a very rich cookie and smaller pieces are preferable.
NOTE: There are a multitude of recipes for shortbread out there, this is one handed down in the family, is pretty foolproof, and the ingredients are all easy to come by. The key to this cookie is keeping the butter cold and not overworking the dough at any point.
If you try to “dress up” this recipe with other ingredients, you may make something good, but it won’t be authentic Scotch shortbread, trust me.
COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP
There are a multitude of variations on the recipe for this soup, this is mine, I don’t like prunes (which is a traditional ingredient) so I leave them out.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cut up chicken, approximately 3 to 4 lbs
6 leeks (washed thoroughly, I usually cut them in half lengthwise and wash in running water to remove all the sand and grit that likes to hide in the layers) Chop into ½ inch pieces using approximately 2/3 the length of each leek.
1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, pared, diced or shredded
3 celery stalks, diced
2 bay leaves
8 cups of chicken stock or water, adjust salt if using chicken stock
1 cup rice, white or brown depending on your preference or you can substitute pearl barley as well
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 sprigs of parsley chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil
PREPARATION:
In a skillet, on medium high heat, brown chicken pieces in butter and olive oil. Remove from skillet and add onion, saute until translucent, add celery and saute until slightly soft.
Place all ingredients in a large stock pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, partially cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
Cook until chicken is tender and rice is done, 2 – 3 hours. Skim foam from top.
Remove chicken, cool, discard skin and bones. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and return to pot.
Check for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Bring back to a boil and reduce to simmer until ready to serve. Prior to serving remove bay leaves. This can be held at serving temperature in a crockpot on low.
SCOTCH BROTH
INGREDIENTS:
2lb lamb (or beef ) trimmed of fat
1 large chopped onion
1 large chopped leek (thoroughly washed to remove sand and grit)
3oz split peas
3oz pearl parley
3 carrots pared and diced
1 medium turnip ( or potato), pared and diced
Water
PREPARATION:
Soak the peas and barley for an hour or so. then rinse under cold water and drain
In a large pot saute the onion in a little butter to soften
Add the meat and cover with water, bring to a boil and skim off the foam.
Add the pre-soaked barley and peas and simmer for 30 minutes, add the remaining vegetables
Continue simmering gently until just cooked, remove meat and allow to cool
Remove meat from the bone, cut in bite size pieces and return to pot.
