Desserts for Hogmanay

Cranachan,

......is a popular dessert which I posted in our scottish week (search, category, scottish and you should be able to find it)

Baked raspberry & bramble trifle with Drambuie

A wonderful Scottish pudding based loosely on the traditional trifle, with the added twist of a layer of baked custard

Ingredients

350g raspberry, fresh or frozen, plus extra to decorate

225g/8oz Madeira cake or any other light sponge, thinly sliced

5 tbsp Drambuie whisky

1 large orange, grated zest and juice

1 litre double cream

4 egg

85g golden caster sugar

few drops vanilla extract or essence

8 tbsp bramble jam or jelly

5 bought shortbread biscuit, coarsely crumbled and lightly toasted

icing sugar, to dust

Method

The day before, preheat the oven to fan oven 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3. Tip the raspberries over the base of a large deep, ovenproof dish. Press down lightly with the back of a spoon to release some of the berry juices.

Cover the raspberries with the slices of cake, then spoon over the Drambuie and orange juice. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.

Whisk together 600ml of the double cream with the eggs, sugar, orange zest and vanilla extract or essence. Spread the jam over the sponge to cover completely then slowly pour on the custard mixture.

Sit the dish in a roasting tin with enough hot water to come at least 5cm up the sides. Bake for 1 hour-1 hour 10 minutes, or longer depending on the height and width of the dish. The custard should be just set with a little wobble left in it. Leave to cool then cover with cling film and keep overnight in the fridge.

To serve, whip the remaining cream until it just holds its shape, then spoon it over the custard. Scatter over the raspberries and toasted shortbread and finish with a dusting of icing sugar.

Ecclefechan Tart

This delicious butter tart is packed with the sultanas, almonds, currants and cherries. Ecclefechan Tart takes its name from the small village of Ecclefechan in Dumfries and Galloway Scotland. Traditionally Ecclefechan tart is served warm as a dessert with cream or ice cream.

Ecclefechan tart (serves 8 – 12):

For the pastry:

250g plain flour

125g unsalted butter

Vanilla salt

50ml whisky

For the filling:

150g unsalted butter

150g light brown sugar

3 eggs

150ml double cream

1 tablespoon black treacle

300g mixed dried fruit

1 teaspoon finely chopped stem ginger

1 lemon

1 orange

To serve:

150ml double cream

1 tablespoon stem ginger syrup

1 teaspoon black treacle

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Rub the flour, butter and pinch of salt together and add enough spirit to combine to a fudgy pastry. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate until needed.

Roll out the pastry to 5mm and line a 25cm tin with it. Prick all over, line with baking beans and blind bake for 10 minutes, then remove the beans and cook for 5 more minutes until golden.

Meanwhile cream the butter and sugar together and then incorporate the eggs. Mix in the cream.

Drizzle a tablespoon of treacle all over the base, top with the fruit then grate over the orange and lemon zest. Top with the cream mixture and bake for 30 minutes until set.

Whisk the remaining cream until it holds its shape and then combine the syrup. With one flourish of the whisk introduce the treacle to get a lovely marbling effect.

The tart is best after it’s had half an hour out of the oven. Serve with the cream.