Some recipes for your Scottish feast, my lovely Don.
Lemon PuddingServes 6-8
1 x 14oz packet puff pastry
3 eggs
3 egg yolks (freeze the whites individually for another recipe)
6oz melted butter
8oz caster sugar
2 lemons
Line a 10 inch, deep pie plate with the pastry and decorate the edge with (say) leaves made from the scraps. Heat the oven to 425F/220C/Gas 7. Place a piece of baking parchment over the pastry and pour in some dried peas, lentils or similar (you can’t use these again for cooking, so store them in a jar and keep them for this future use). Bake the case for 20-25 minutes, removing the parchment and dried peas for the last 10 minutes.
Lower the heat of the oven to 350F/180C/Gas 4. Beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together. Mix in the melted butter with the rind of one lemon and the juice of both. Pour into the pastry case and bake the pudding for about 30 to 40 minutes until it is golden brown (the filling will still be quite soft at this stage). Leave to cool and set. Serve cold with whipped cream.
Gooseberry Batter PuddingServes 6
¾ pint milk
3 eggs
2oz plain flour
¼ level teaspoon ground nutmeg
4oz caster sugar
¾ lb ripe gooseberries
Sifted icing sugar
Liberally butter a 2 pint shallow ovenproof dish. Wash and pat dry the gooseberries, top and tail them and put them in the dish. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C/Gas 6. Heat the milk until almost boiling. Put the eggs, sugar, nutmeg and flour into a blender and blitz. When the mixture is smooth, gradually add the hot milk through the feeder tube until it is all used up and you have a smooth batter.
Pour the batter over the gooseberries and bake the pudding for 45 minutes. Check the pudding after 30 minutes, and if the surface is getting too brown, cover it with baking parchment for the remainder of the time. Immediately the pudding is cooked, sprinkle the surface thickly with sifted icing sugar and serve with single cream.
Fochabers Gingerbread8oz plain flour
2oz lard
2oz margarine
2oz caster sugar
2oz mixed peel
2oz sultanas
2oz currants
2oz ground almonds
1 level teaspoon mixed spice
2 level teaspoons ground ginger
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
4oz black treacle, melted
1 egg, beaten
¼ brown ale
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Grease a 7 ½ inch cake tin with butter, and line the base with baking parchment.
Preheat the oven to 300F/150C/Gas 2. Cream the margarine and lard together, then add the sugar and beat the mixture until it is soft and fluffy. Add the melted treacle and gradually beat in the beaten egg. Sift the flour together with the mixed spice, ground ginger and cinnamon, and fold them into the mixture with the mixed peel, sultanas, currants and ground almonds. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the ale and stir it into the mixture, then turn the mixture into the prepared tin, spread it to the sides and hollow out the centre slightly. Bake the gingerbread for about 1 ½ hours. Cool the gingerbread in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn it onto a wire tray to cool fully.
Lorraine SoupServes 4-6
Lorraine soup is said to be named after Mary of Guise-Lorraine, the wife of James V and mother of Mary Stuart, who set the fashion for French cooking in Scotland.
½ lb minced cooked chicken
2oz blanched almonds
2 cooked egg yolks, sieved
2 pints chicken stock
1tbs fresh white breadcrumbs
A pinch of nutmeg
The pared rind of half a lemon
¼ pint single cream
Place the minced chicken and almonds into a blender and briefly blitz. Add sufficient of the chicken stock through the feeder tube to blend the mixture to a smooth paste.
Turn the paste into a pan with the rest of the stock, the sieved egg yolks, breadcrumbs, nutmeg and the lemon rind. Bring the soup to the boil, then just before serving, remove the lemon rind and stir in the cream. Check for seasoning and serve.
Partan BreeServes 4-6
1 boiled crab
2oz long grain rice
1 pint milk
1 pint chicken stock
A few drops of anchovy essence
¼ pint single cream
Remove all the meat from the crab, taking care to also remove the nasties (dead men’s fingers). Keep on one side the pieces taken from the large claws.
Cook the rice in the milk until it is soft, then stir in the main part of the crab meat and puree the mixture in a blender. Pour the puree into a pan, and gradually add the stock, stirring continually. Stir the soup until it boils, add the anchovy essence and season to taste if desired (take care as anchovies are quite salty anyway). Add the meat from the large claws. Reduce the heat and simmer until the crab meat is thoroughly heated through. Gradually stir in the cream, but on no account must you let the soup boil, as the cream will curdle. Serve with Melba toast.
For ease of reference here is the recipe for quick Melba toast. It won’t be added to my tally please, as I’ve already posted it here.
Melba ToastOne small white sliced loaf
Preheat oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2/Fan 135C.
Cut the crusts off the slices. Give crusts to the birdies.
Roll the slices one at a time with a rolling pin to flatten them. Either leave the slices whole or cut them in half, as you please. Place the slices on baking trays and bake for about 30 minutes or until pale golden and curling at the edges.
Cool the slices on a wire rack. Store the cooled slices in an airtight container or tin.
Lobster Lady TweedsmuirServes 4-6
This recipe is from the collection of the late Mrs Gena Mackinnon, the mother of the current Chairman of the Drambuie Liqueur Company
2lb cooked lobster, shells retained for serving
3oz butter
1oz plain flour
½ pint milk
¼ pint cream
2 egg yolks, beaten (freeze the whites individually for another recipe)
1 level teaspoon chopped parsley
1 glass Drambuie
For the decoration
12 button mushrooms, dry wiped
2oz butter
Lemon wedges
Half a cucumber, thinly sliced
Cut the lobster meat into pieces, and leave the lobster shells in a warm place while preparing the filling.
Melt 1oz of the butter, stir in the flour and gradually blend in the milk. Pour into a pan. Over a medium heat, stirring constantly, bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Mix the egg yolks and cream together, and pour in a little of the hot sauce, and then when it is well blended in, pour this back into the rest of the sauce, stirring all the time, and heat it through. Do not allow the sauce to boil or it will curdle.
Melt the remaining 2oz butter in a pan, add the chopped lobster and toss it in the butter to coat it thoroughly. Then stir in the Drambuie, the sauce and the chopped parsley. Check the mixture for seasoning and turn it into the lobster shells.
Fry the mushrooms in the butter, then arrange them around the filled shells with slices of the cucumber and the lemon wedges.
Trout DrambuieServes 4
4 rainbow trout, cleaned but with the heads left on
2oz soft butter
1 level teaspoon dried oregano
¼ pint natural yoghurt
¼ pint double cream
1tbs Drambuie
Wash and thoroughly dry the trout. Spread an overproof dish with half the butter. Put the fish in the dish and spread with the rest of the butter. Sprinkle over the oregano.
Mix the yoghurt, cream and Drambuie together, then season the mixture and pour it over the trout. Bake the fish, uncovered, at 350F/180C/ Gas 4 for 20 minutes. Garnish with lemon twists to serve.
Poached Prawns, Isle of MayServes 6-8
This recipe comes from the Crusoe Hotel in Lower Largo, in Fife, the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, whose experiences were the inspiration of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.
2lb uncooked peeled prawns
4oz mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
½ pint dry white wine
2oz butter
2oz plain flour
1 wineglass glass dry sherry
¼ pint double cream
2lb potatoes, boiled and mashed
Scallop shells, for serving
Place the prawns, mushrooms, onion and white wine in a saucepan, cover and poach for about 10 to 15 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquor.
In another saucepan, melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook gently for a few minutes, without browning. Add the fish liquor and the sherry, correcting the consistency with milk if it is too thick. Add the prawns, mushrooms and onion. Check the seasoning and lightly stir in the double cream. Reheat and serve in scallop shells, surrounded by a border of piped mashed potato.
Prawns Eilean a’CheoServes 1 as a main course or 2 as a starter
1oz butter
6oz peeled raw prawns
2oz onion, finely chopped
2oz white mushrooms, sliced
¼ red pepper, finely chopped
1 large measure Drambuie
2 fl oz double cream
2oz long grain rice
Lemon wedges and parsley sprigs, to serve and decorate
A few cooked prawns to garnish
Boil the rice in plenty of salted water until cooked. Drain and keep warm. Meanwhile, melt the butter and fry the prawns, onions and peppers. When the onions are almost cooked, add the mushrooms and Drambuie. Season to taste and add the cream. Serve on a bed of the rice, topped with the prawns reserved for garnish, the lemon wedges and the parsley sprigs.
Scottish Cheddar Cheese SoupServes 6
This is a recipe from Toravaig House Hotel, Skye.
2 onions, thinly sliced
2oz butter
2oz flour
1 pint milk
Pinch of pepper
6oz Scottish Cheddar cheese, grated
Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the onions for a few minutes until they are soft but not browned. Add the flour and cook for another two minutes. Stir in the milk, bring to the boil, season to taste and then simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Gradually stir in the grated cheese and simmer the soup until the cheese is melted. Do not allow to boil. Serve immediately.
Crabbie ClawServes 4
Another recipe from the Toravaig House Hotel in Skye.
1 ½ lb cod fillets
2 teaspoons horseradish (grated if you can get it, otherwise use horseradish sauce)
Sprig of parsley
2lb potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 hard boiled egg, roughly chopped
Paprika
1tbs chopped parsley
For the sauce
1 ½ oz plain flour
1 ½ oz butter
¾ pint fish liquor (see recipe)
¼ pint milk
Place the cod fillets in a pan with the horseradish, the sprig of parsley and a sprinkling of salt. Cover with 1 ½ pints water, bring to the boil and simmer until the fish is cooked. Drain, reserving ¾ pint of the liquid for the sauce. Pipe a border of mashed potato around a large serving plate and arrange the fish in the centre. Keep warm while making the sauce.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook for a few minutes without browning. Add the fish liquor and the milk, bring to the boil and cook to thicken. If the mixture becomes too thick for your liking, add more milk to slacken it. Stir in the hard boiled egg, season to taste and pour over the fish. Garnish with parsley and sprinkle with paprika.
