This weekend my thoughts are with co -blogger Simon, his family and friends battening down the hatches against the massive snow storm hitting New York & the East Coast of the USA with a vengeance.

New York State, 8 inches and snow still falling!

Hopefully with the storm over we can all celebrate  Burns Night, the birthday of famous Scottish poet Robert Burns. I used to work with Alec, a proud Scot and organiser of Burns Night Suppers. He would proudly recall the whole tradition of bagpipes greeting the guests,  piping in the haggis followed by reciting the poem “Address to the Haggis’. The supper of haggis, neeps (mashed Scottish turnips/English swede) & tatties (mashed potatoes) with  speeches, poems and singing accompanied by lots of toasts and several drams of  Scotch whisky. Cranachan, a Scottish dessert is often served and I decided to do my version that has a few twists on the original recipe and easy to make.

Ingredients (serves 2)

Ingredients

• 25g (0.9 oz) coarse oatmeal (steel cut or pinhead)
• 15g (0.5oz) whole  hazelnuts
• 100g (3.5 oz) fresh raspberries
• 70ml (2.4 fl oz) double (heavy) cream
• 50ml (1.7 fl oz) Greek yoghurt ( 10% fat)
• 1 teaspoon of caster sugar ( I use golden)
• 1-2 teaspoons of good quality strong runny honey ( I use chestnut flower)
• 1-2 teaspoons of Single Malt Scotch Whisky ( I use The Macallan 10 year old)

Method

Toast & roll those hazelnuts

• Heat a frying pan to a medium heat, toast the hazelnuts for 3-4 minutes and keep rolling them around the pan so they don’t burn
• Remove, cool slightly, place in a bag and break up roughly using a rolling pin
  

  Oatmeal & sugar’s a toasting

• Add the oatmeal and sugar to the frying pan and toast for 4-5 minutes, keep stirring until the sugar has melted and the oatmeal evenly toasted
• Cool on a tray lined with some greaseproof paper
• Take  70g (2.5 oz) raspberries and push through a fine sieve catching the puree in a bowl underneath

Cream whipped, ready and waiting

• Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks, add the Greek yoghurt, whisky,  & a teaspoon of honey and swirl in the raspberry puree
• Fold in most of the toasted oatmeal and hazelnuts, reserving a couple of teaspoons
• Place in a glass, decorate with the rest of the toasted oatmeal and hazelnuts, a drizzle of honey and remaining 30g (1 oz) of fresh raspberries.

My Cranachan  – a Scottish Dessert  & Burns Night Delight or any other for that matter!