Cranachan

Cranachan.

Cranachan (Scottish Gaelic: Creannachan Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [ˈkʰɾanəxan]) is a traditional Scottish dessert. In more modern times it is usually made from a mixture of whipped cream, whisky, honey (preferably heather honey), and fresh raspberries with toasted oatmeal soaked overnight, in a little whisky. Atholl brose is a drink using similar ingredients but does not contain raspberries. Earlier recipes used crowdie cheese rather than (or as well as) cream, and were sometimes called cream-crowdie. Other earlier recipes are more austere, omitting the whisky and treating the fruit as an optional extra.

A traditional way to serve cranachan is to bring dishes of each ingredient to the table, so that each person can assemble their dessert to taste. Tall dessert glasses are also of typical presentation.

It was originally a summer dish and often consumed around harvest time, but is now more likely to be served all year round and on special occasions. A variant dish was ale-crowdie, consisting of ale, treacle and whisky with the oatmeal - served at a wedding with a ring in the mixture: whoever got the ring would be the next to marry.

Recipe

One traditional recipe for cranachan is 3 ounces (85 g) pinhead oatmeal, 1/2 imperial pints (280 ml) double (or whipping) cream, and 2 tablespoons (35 ml) of whisky. The oatmeal should be toasted in a pan over a high heat then dust should be sifted out. The oatmeal is soaked in whisky overnight and then added to the whipped cream, with a little more whisky added to the mixture. Some raspberries are placed in the bottom of the serving glass before adding the cream mixture. An option is to break up some of the raspberries and gently blend into the mixture. The volume of whisky used may be adjusted to personal taste, but it should be a subtle hint rather than a strong flavour.

References

• "The Scots Kitchen: Its Lore & Recipes" by F. Marian McNeill, Blackie, 1929

See also

• Syllabub - a similar dessert

External links

• Recipe, history and photo