A cranachan? "What on earth is that?" you may ask. Well it's a delicious Scottish dessert made with billowing whipped cream, raspberries, honey, whisky and toasted oats? Not convinced? Try this breakfast version (and there's also a regular version here too) made with yogurt in place of cream. After this, I promise that haggis will be the last thing you'll think of when you think of Scottish food.
Dear Reader, what is your favourite form of social media? For me I love twitter, instagram and Pinterest the best. I love catching up on what friends are doing through their Instagram feed (which is really what they're eating or wearing). But recently when I upgraded my Instagram I noticed a feature. It was a feature that had been there all along but I had never made use of. It's where you can see what the people you're following are liking.
You see I've been delving a bit further into it. While someone's Instagram feed might represent a person's carefully curated image, what they actually hit "like" on offers a better glimpse into them - hey you can even profile people!
Take my friend Nick. From his Instagram feed he likes watches and food. But if you take a peek at the photos that he likes...well there are a lot of young, cute girls and a couple of bottoms thrown in too! Another friend has started profiling her potential dates. I have found most women fairly straightforward in what they liked but men seemed to have a dichotomy liking photos of scenic travel views and food but that there was a whole new category for the scantily clad, boobs and bums. I asked Mr NQN about these two sides and he answered straight away, "Yup pretty much!".
I can't profess to know what will be popular on Instagram although photogenic people and healthy food/fitspo seem to be really popular. One thing that I didn't expect to be that popular was this breakfast cranachan. What is a cranachan? I first learned about it when attending a Visit Scotland lunch. It was served as dessert; similar to an Eton Mess sort of dessert with whipped cream, raspberries, honey and optional whisky with toasted pinhead or steel cut oats added to it for crunch.
If you were following me on Instagram (and please do! :)) a few weeks ago when Eurovision was on we went to our friends Louise and Viggo's house for a Eurovision breakfast. Most Australians watched it that evening but as fervent Eurovision supporters they held a breakfast. I picked Scotland as my country (let's just forget how the UK did this year) and I decided to make a breakfast version of Cranachan.
The breakfast version uses natural yogurt instead of cream but the raspberries and oats fit the healthy breakfast profile. It's up to you whether you want to use whisky. I didn't add any because it was breakfast but I'm sure that for some whisky is a perfectly fine breakfast tipple. I also added something extra to these in the form of some delicious demerara sugar shortbread that I bought in Edinburgh just to add some more crunch. Thankfully it was a hit at breakfast, even with all of the food that there was to choose from!
So tell me Dear Reader, what is your favourite form of social media? Which ones are you on? Do you profile people through their Instagram likes? How much time do you spend on social media nowadays?
Breakfast (or Regular) Cranachan
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1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed (don't buy the ones that will kill you)
1/2 cup icing sugar (you can omit this or use 1/4 cup if you are using cream)
500ml/1lb. natural yogurt or cream
3-4 tablespoons honey plus 2 tablespoons extra
2 tablespoons whisky (optional)
4 tablespoon toasted pinhead or steel cut oats* (you can also use your favourite nut in its place if you can't find pinhead oats)
2 shortbread biscuits, crumbled
125g/4ozs. punnet fresh raspberries
*To toast oats place in a dry frypan and toast until fragrant. You can also lay them out on a baking tray and bake in a 180C/350F oven for 10 minutes or so (be careful they don't burn).
Step 1 - Crush or blend the raspberries with the icing sugar to form a sauce. In a separate bowl mix the yogurt and honey and whisky if using. If you are using cream, whip until you get soft folds (definitely stop before you get stiff peaks) and then stir in honey and whisky if using.
Step 2 - Layer some of the cream or yogurt mixture in clear serving glasses or a serving bowl. Place 3/4 of the raspberry sauce on top and spread out so that you can see it from the side. Sprinkle the oats and then add another layer of yogurt or cream. Add the remaining raspberry sauce and then crumble the shortbread cookies on top. Add fresh raspberries and final drizzle of extra honey.
Cranachan is a traditional Scottish dessert made of cream, raspberries, oats and whisky. Try a classic cranachan recipe, or experiment with a more modern take on the sweet treat. Great for Burns Night, great for every other night! It's super easy to whip up Mary Berry's classic Scottish cranachan.
Our modern Burns Night menu from chef Roberta Hall-McCarron is a little bit different but equally delicious. One thing's for sure, the traditional Scottish dessert cranachan is the pudding for the job, and a wee dram of whisky is non-negotiable.
Cranachan is a traditional Scottish dessert that has been enjoyed for centuries, particularly in the Scottish Highlands. The exact origins of the dessert are unclear, but it is thought to have evolved from a dish known as crowdie, which was a mixture of oatmeal, cream, and honey.
One sweet treat enjoyed by Ethiopians is pasti, a pastry made of fried dough that looks a bit like a contorted donut without a hole, sometimes sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Dried apples, raisins and apricots were common, but berries and prunes also were available. In addition to eating it plain, dried fruit reconstituted in water with crumbled biscuits formed the basis of simple steamed cobblers and puddings.
Burns suppers may be formal or informal. Both typically include haggis (a traditional Scottish dish celebrated by Burns in Address to a Haggis), Scotch whisky and the recitation of Burns's poetry.
Speaking of drinks, it wouldn't be a proper Scottish celebration or Burns Night without the mention of whisky. A staple part of Scottish culture, having a glass or two of whisky to celebrate is a must.
Blending fresh fruit and freezing into popsicles is the perfect substitute for ice cream—vitamins from fresh fruit without heavy cream or added sugar is a sweet treat sans the extra calories.
Let everyone warm up with a bowl of cullen skink. This traditional soup originates from the Scottish town of Cullen and combines haddock, potatoes, milk, onion and parsley to make a comforting, yet relatively light, starter. Top with chopped chives and serve with crusty bread, if you like.
Ashure (Noah's Pudding) is thought to be the oldest dessert in the world, first made by Noah after his fabled landfall at Mt Ararat. It is a delightful mix of dried fruit, nuts, grains and beans (yes, beans!) made in Turkey and all over the Middle East. Give it a try - you'll be glad you did!
The origin of the word cranachan in Scots Gaelic means "churn." While pinhead oats or steel-cut oats are perhaps more traditional for this dish, rolled oats are perfectly fine to use. The key is toasting the oats until they smell nutty. If you do use pinhead oats, expect the dish to have a bit more texture.
Simple oats form the basis for this easy-to-make dessert. Heady malt whiskey, soothing honey overtones, and rich cream settle into the oats and create a sweet, strong, and sumptuous dessert. Raspberries add a much-needed tangy tart note to this traditional cranachan concoction.
Scottish Tablet is made with milk, butter, condensed milk and A LOT of sugar. It is boiled to a high temperature, before beating the mixture until thickened, and then setting it in a tin until completely cool.
It is made from pork or occasionally beef blood, with pork fat or beef suet, and a cereal, usually oatmeal, oat groats, or barley groats. The high proportion of cereal, along with the use of certain herbs such as pennyroyal, serves to distinguish black pudding from blood sausages eaten in other parts of the world.
Banoffee Pie is a classic English dessert that gets its name from the ingredients used banana and toffee! It's absolutely delicious and totally addicting made with a Graham cracker crust and filled with bananas, dulce de leche (toffee), and a generous helping of whipped cream.
Introduction: My name is Rueben Jacobs, I am a cooperative, beautiful, kind, comfortable, glamorous, open, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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