A traditional and delicious Scottish recipe.
Serves 4
150g raspberries
60g medium oatmeal
600ml double cream
4tbsp malt whisky
4 tbsp clear runny honey
Put the oatmeal on to a baking tray and either toast in the oven (200C/400F/Gas Mark 6) or under the grill until it is a golden brown colour.
Whip the double cream until it forms soft peaks then add the honey and whisky. Reserve a small amount of the oatmeal for scattering on the top later, fold the rest into the cream mixture and then fold in the liquidised raspberries.
Put the mixture into a bowl or individual serving dishes then spoon the remaining raspberries and reserved oatmeal on to the top.
For a slightly less rich version you could use half cream and half yoghurt in which case whip the cream first and then stir in the yoghurt. You can also vary it using any soft fruit but raspberries give it a traditional Scottish feel.
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A delicious and slightly unusual crumble.
Serves 4
For the base:
450g ripe pears, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
1tbsp muscovado sugar
2 mangoes, peeled, stoned and cut into chunks
1 piece of stem ginger, finely chopped
For the topping:
175g plain flour
85g butter
85g muscovado sugar
85g pecans put into a plastic bag and bashed with a rolling pin in order to chop them up.
Heat the oven to 180C/160F/gas mark 4. Then put the pears in a pan with the sugar and 4tbsp water. Cook over a gentle heat for 5 minutes until the pears are just tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the mango chunks and the chopped ginger. Spoon the mixture into a shallow 1.75 litre baking dish and leave whilst you make the topping. To do this rub the butter into the flour until it is like breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar and the chopped pecans. Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit, then bake in the oven for 30 minutes until browned.
Delicious, especially with cream or vanilla ice cream.
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A wonderful way of using all the tomatoes that you may have ripening in your garden. This is a light curry packed with delicious fresh flavours.
Serves 4
Vegetable oil
2 onions cut into wedges
6 ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
Large knob of fresh root ginger, chopped
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Curry powder according to taste
400g shelled king prawns
250g frozen peas
Small bunch of coriander
Heat the oil in the frying pan then fry the onions for a few minutes until they are softening and beginning to brown. Whilst they’re frying reserve some of the tomato wedges and then blend the rest in a food processor with the ginger and the garlic.
Add the curry powder to the pan then after about 30 seconds stir in the tomato, ginger and garlic mix and the tomato wedges. Let it all bubble for about 5 minutes then mix in the prawns and the peas. Simmer until the peas and the prawns are heated through.
Scatter with coriander and serve with basmati rice.
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A fabulously crunchy and zesty salad which is perfect during the summer.
Serves 4-6
250-300g rice noodles – the thin vermicelli type
3-4 chicken breasts
a medium piece of ginger, peeled and grated (keep the trimmings)
1 stick of lemongrass, trimmed and chopped as finely as possible (keep the trimmings)
1 small red chilli, seeded and finely diced
3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
Juice of one lime
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
100g sugar snap peas, shredded lengthways
1/2 cucumber, shredded into fine sticks length ways (julienne) same size as the peas
small bunch of corriander
4 spring onions, finely shredded
Cook the noodles following the packet instructions and cool imediately in cold water. Set aside.
Put the chicken breasts in a saucepan of cold water to cover well and add the ginger and lemongrass trimmings. Poach for 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the breasts. Leave to cool in the water. Once they are cool shred the chicken finely.
Mix together the ginger, lemongrass, chilli, fish sauce, lime, sugar, rice vinegar and vegetable oil for the dressing. Leave to infuse for at least an hour.
Mix all the ingredients for the salad with the dressing and serve.
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Ice cream is a wonderful treat which we take for granted, but before refrigeration ice cream was only enjoyed by the privileged few who had access to ice. There are many methods of making it, but the most popular for homemade ice cream is the custard base, blending rich custard with cream and a flavouring. The custard base contains eggs, sugar and milk which is cooled and then flavouring and cream is added and churned in an ice cream maker, or by hand, and frozen.
Vanilla Ice Cream
600ml whole milk
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
8 medium egg yolks
220g caster sugar
600ml whipping or double cream
Place the milk and vanilla pod in a saucepan and whisk vigorously as it comes to the boil, crushing the pod against the side of the pan so all the seeds are distributed in the milk. Take it off the heat and allow to infuse for an hour. Remove the vanilla pod. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together and slowly stir the milk into the yolk and sugar mixture. Rinse out the saucepan and return the milk and egg mixture to the pan. Heat gently over a low-medium heat stirring all the time until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, making sure not to overheat. Sieve the custard immediately into a cold bowl, add the cream and leave to cool in the fridge. When cold, turn into an ice-cream maker, churn and then freeze.
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