Cranachan (30)

Hi, Happy to see you back. This topic today is not seasonal (not Christmas) nor regional (not Cullen-specific). But it is something I really like and think you should try.

Traditional Scottish Cranachan Recipe (from The Spruce Eats)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup steel-cut oatmeal (or pinhead oatmeal)

2 cups fresh raspberries (Scottish if possible)

1 pint /475 milliliters heavy cream (or double cream)

3 tablespoon malt whisky (good quality)

Optional: 1 tablespoon honey Scottish honey (plus more, to serve)

Steps:

  1. Gather all the ingredients
  2. Heat a large heavy-based frying skillet on the stove till hot but not burning.
  3. Add the oats and continually stirring, toast the oats until they have a light, nutty smell and are only just beginning to change color. Do not leave the oats unattended as the oatmeal can burn quickly, so they will need constant attention. Once toasted, remove immediately from the pan.
  4. Keeping a handful of the raspberries to one side to use as garnish, place the remainder in a food processor. Whiz once or twice to make a thick paste. Alternatively, crush with a fork. Do not over blend. It’s okay to have bigger lumps of fruits.
  5. In a large, clean bowl, whisk the cream and whiskey to form firm peaks. Take care not to over whip.

6. Into individual serving glasses, layer the dessert. You can start with a layer of the cream or raspberries; it’s up to you. Always finish with a layer of the cream and oatmeal. If you wish, you can even sprinkle a little oatmeal on the top for decoration.

7. Cover the glasses with clingfilm for a minimum of one hour, but not longer.

8. To serve the Cranachan, drizzle over a little extra honey (optional) and if you fancy, serve with a piece or two of Scottish Shortbread..

A personal note (with apologies to the traditional recipe):

I usually use Drambuie instead of the whiskey. It also tastes good with Chivas Regal. Since I do not really like raspberries, I prefer to use blueberries or even strawberries. I also do not serve with shortbread.

If you come to Scotland, you will see this on restaurant menus only in raspberry season; anytime from June to October.