The Scottish Kitchen - Desserts, Cakes, Biscuits, Baking

Scotland has been renowned for its puddings and baking for centuries. Especially afternoon tea, which offered an endless variety of home-made breads, scones, cakes, biscuits and pastries. My mother and grandmother made tables groan with the selection they offered at their afternoon tea parties. I have selected only a few of these rather special recipes.

Cloutie (or Clootie) Dumpling

When I went off to College, my mother worried that I would not have enough to eat, so she made sure that I always took a large home-made clootie dumpling with me. What with this and the cheese "cruds"(curds) which the local Creamery Manager packed for me to take with me (he too was concerned I might starve), it is little wonder that my friends at College eagerly awaited my return. This wonderful pudding gets its name from the clout/cloot (cloth) in which the dumpling is boiled. It is easily recognised by the lovely shiny skin which forms as it is cooked, due to the cloth being sprinkled with flour and sugar before it is filled with the mixture. It is delicious hot or cold (I personally love it cold), and leftovers used to be fried with bacon for breakfast the following morning. Again, naughty but nice - once in a while.

In a bowl mix together 150g (6 oz) sieved plain flour, 75g (3oz) shredded suet, 100g (4 oz) caster sugar, 100g (4oz) each of currants and sultanas, a heaped teaspoon of mixed spices, and half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda. Stir in enough buttermilk, thick sour milk, or cold tea to give a thick soft batter ( about 150ml/ 5fl oz). Dip a pudding cloth in boiling water and sprinkle lightly with flour and caster sugar. If liked, place the cloth inside a pudding basin to give it a round shape, and spoon in the batter. Draw the fullness of the cloth evenly together and tie firmly with string, leaving room for the dumpling to swell. Place an old plate in the bottom of a large pot, lower the dumpling on to this, and pour over enough boiling to cover it. Put lid on pan and simmer gently for two and a half to three hours, topping up with boiling water as required during this time. Turn out onto a hot "ashet", dredge with caster sugar, and serve with custard. Alternatively serve cold with cream. Either way it is scrumptious!

Butterscotch Tart

This is a later version of the traditional 17th century Scottish recipe which comprised a pastry case, with a butterscotch filling topped with meringue. This recipe omits the meringue topping, and uses evaporated milk to give a lighter easy to make butterscotch filling.

Ingredients - serves 4
175g(7 oz) shortcrust pastry(175g/7 oz flour, 100g/4 oz butter etc.)
Small can of evaporated milk,chilled
150g( 6 oz) light muscovado sugar
Icing sugar and cocoa powder for dusting
Single or whipped cream, to serve - optional

Method
1. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured board, and use to line a 20cm/8" ovenproof flan dish.

2. Line the pastry case with a circle of greaseproof paper, half fill with baking beans or rice, and "bake blind" at 200C/400F/Gas6 for 15 minutes. Remove beans and paper.

3. Whisk together the evaporated milk and sugar, using an electric mixer or hand blender.

4. After about 5 minutes mixture should be thickened and pale.

5. Return to the oven and bake for about ten minutes or until set.

6. Leave to cool in the tin before transferring to a serving plate.

7. Cut into thin slices, dust with icing sugar and cocoa powder before serving with your choice of cream, if used.

Please note, it is essential to use authentic muscovado sugar, not soft brown sugar, to ensure that the filling sets properly.

Fochabers Gingerbread

There are many varieties of gingerbread in Scotland, as in most countries. This, however is my favourite and is the recipe used by my mother and grandmother. Fochabers gingerbread differs from most other recipes in that it contains dried fruit. Here's the recipe exactly as found in my mother's recipe book:

Beat half a pound of butter with quarter a pound of sugar to a cream. Warm half a pound of black treacle slightly and add. Break in two eggs, one at a time, beating well. Mix together one pound of flour, quarter of a pound of sultanas, quarter of a pound of currants, three ounces of ground almonds, three ounces of chopped candied peel, half an ounce of mixed spices and quarter an ounce of ground cinnamon and a good pinch of ground cloves. Add these to the butter etc. Dissolve one teaspoon bicarbonate of soda in half a pint of beer and add. Mix thoroughly and put into buttered cake tins to bake in a slow oven for two hours.

In our family the top of the gingerbread was brushed with a little golden syrup and sprinkled with chopped crystallised ginger while it was just barely warm.

Petticoat Tails

There are some who say that the name came from the French petit gatelles meaning little cakes, but it is generally thought that the name has its origin in the shape, which is exactly that of the bell-hoop petticoats worn by women in the nineteenth century. Mary Queen of Scots is reputed to have been very fond of these biscuits.

Ingredients
150g (6 oz) plain flour
50g (2 oz) icing sugar, plus extra
75g (3oz) butter
25g (1 oz) vegetable fat
Caster sugar to dredge

Method
1. Sieve flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Rub in the butter and lard which should have been cut into small pieces, till it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Knead to form a smooth ball.

2. Lightly sprinkle a work surface with icing sugar and roll mixture into a circle 20cm/8" diameter.

3. Place on a baking sheet, prick surface with a fork. Using a 5 cm./2" cutter, cut out a circle from the centre.

4. Cut the outer circle into 8-12 wedges.

5.Separate the pieces and bake in an oven pre-heated to 160C/325F Gas3 for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Serve the shortbread while still warm, dredged with caster sugar. Alternatively dredge with caster sugar while still warm, leave till cold, and store in an airtight tin.

Millionaires’ Shortbread

I guess this got its name simply because it is so rich. As a child I adored this delicious caramel filling topped with chocolate on its 'melt in the mouth' shortbread base. A real treat.

Ingredients
1 can full cream sweetened condensed milk
100g (4 oz) butter
Topping
150g (6oz) plain chocolate
For the base
100g (4 oz) butter
50g (2 oz) caster sugar
100g (4 oz) plain flour
50g (2 oz) ground rice
Pinch of salt

Method
1. The day before, place the unopened can of condensed milk in a deep pan, cover with water.

2. Bring to the boil, place lid on pan, and cook over medium heat for 2 hours.

3. Carefully remove hot can from water and leave to cool completely overnight.

4. To make base, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Work in flour and ground rice.

5. Press mixture into a well greased Swiss roll tin till smooth (mixture will be crumbly).

6. Prick all over with a fork and bake at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for approx. 35 minutes until pale golden brown. Leave to cool.

7. Open tin of boiled condensed milk, place contents in saucepan with butter. Heat thoroughly, stirring all the time till well blended and butter has been absorbed.

8. When smooth, pour over cooled base.

9. Melt chocolate in a basin in hot water, or in a microwave oven. Spread over caramel topping.

10. Cut into squares, as soon as it is set, but before it is hard. Leave in tin till cold.

Scotch Pancakes

Better known as Drop Scones, my mother cooked pancakes on her girdle, three or four times a week, so she was truly an expert. When I came home on holiday after my first term at Atholl Crescent I asked my mother if I could make the pancakes for her. She agreed, so I proudly proceeded, using the family recipe. However they did not appear to rise like my mother's, nor were they such a good colour. I was puzzled, so I called my mother. One look at the results and she told me that I had omitted to add the sugar, hence the lack of colour and rise. I did feel so embarrassed, but I have never made the same mistake again!!

Ingredients - makes 12
100g (4 oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 large egg
Approx. 150ml (5 fl ozs) milk
25g (1 oz) caster sugar
Half a teaspoon cream of tartar
Quarter a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method
1. Sieve flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre, break in the egg, and whisk in enough milk to give a smooth batter. Stir in sugar (don’t forget this).

2. Leave this batter to rest in fridge for about half an hour.

3. Remove batter from fridge and finally stir in the sieved cream of tartar and bicarb. of soda.

4. Drop dessertspoons of batter from the point of the spoon onto a pre-heated, greased girdle/griddle/heavy frying pan.

5. Cook on one side until bubbles begin to burst on the surface. Turn over and cook on the other side.

6. Cool between the folds of a clean tea towel to keep them soft.

7. Serve with butter (and jam if you like).

When I was a child, any leftover pancakes were served with the bacon and egg breakfast the following morning. Leftover tattie (potato scones) received the same treatment - I'm happy to say.