Cranachan (pronounced cran-ock – apparently). It’s a lightly creamy, slightly crunchy, sweetly tart Scottish dessert. It’s built for summer. The thing is – it’s definitely not summer, and it’s absolutely not raspberry season. But with Burns Night around the corner, I’m not letting that stop me. This is my Winterised Cranachan.

If you know what I mean by Burns Night, you’re welcome to just skip on down the post. It’s a celebration of the life and work of Scottish poet Robert Burns, whose birthday is on January 25. Dinner usually involves haggis, Scottish whisky, poetry and dessert (obviously).

A traditional cranachan combines fresh raspberries, whipped cream and toasted oats. For Burns Night, I’ve combined a few of my favorite Scottish things into a seasonally appropriate, rich and boozy version. It combines a whisky-spiked custard, macerated frozen raspberries and crumbled shortbread cookies into a winter cranachan fit for a chilly evening.

You don’t have to use whisky for the custard but … why wouldn’t you? My preference is Glenmorangie 10 year. Its floral, delicate flavor doesn’t overpower the creaminess of the custard or the tartness of the raspberries. Even though I love everything smoky, in this case I would steer clear of a peated whisky, as you risk the taste of barbecued dessert.

You can make everything in advance and construct it just before serving.

Note: I know a few people who can’t eat eggs (understandable) or hate custard (not understandable), so I’ve included a little note about a substitution if you fall into either of those categories.

Winter cranachan

Serves: 2-4, depending on how generous your portions are

Whisky-soaked raspberries
100 grams frozen raspberries
1 tsp honey (heather honey if you have it)
20 mL (just over 1 tbsp) Scottish (non-peated) whisky

Mix the raspberries, honey and whisky in a jar and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to 1 day. After the first 30 minutes, crush the raspberries down to ensure they’re all sitting in liquid.

Whisky custard*
2 egg yolks
30 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
120 mL double (heavy) cream
1 tsp Scottish (non-peated) whisky (optional)

Set a small, heavy bottomed sauce pan on to very low heat. Add the cream and vanilla, and heat it until bubbles start to form or it starts to noticeably thicken. This will take a few minutes, but don’t walk away!

Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until smooth.

Once your cream is ready, take the pan off the heat. Very slowly pour a thin stream of warm cream into the egg, occasionally whisking, until about half the cream is incorporated into the egg.

Still off the heat, slowly pour the egg/cream mix back into the saucepan and whisk them together.

Put the pan back on the heat and keep whisking.

It’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon, but you can keep cooking for longer for a thicker custard. (It will thicken even more in the refrigerator.)

Off the heat, stir in the whisky and refrigerate until you’re ready to construct.

Construction

50 g shortbread cookies

Crush up the shortbread cookies until you have rough pieces. Don’t turn them into dust.

In dessert dishes or lowball drinking glasses, alternate layers of raspberries, custard and crushed shortbread. Save your bigger pieces of shortbread for the topping.

* Whisky whipped cream
120 mL double/heavy cream
2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
1 tsp Scottish whisky
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the cream, sugar, whisky and vanilla. Whisk by hand or use an electric mixer, until you get stiff peaks.

I really wish there were more hours in a day. I wrote a first draft of this post last week and lost it, unfortunately, but the fact that it took me nearly a month to even write this gets to me.

By the time I cook, I’m too tired to sit down and write about it at 10 pm. But, until someone makes a real life TimeTurner, my recipes will just have to wait patiently in the drafts queue.

This is probably my favorite thing to make for group dinner/lunch parties. It was for my first Burns Night, and I was joining the gentleman’s yearly tradition. In typical fashion, I spent far too much time stressing about what I’d bring to Burns Night dinner, even if I “didn’t have to bring anything.” Of course I had to bring something.

I finally settled on making herbed crepes with creme fraiche and Scottish smoked salmon, and even though I was sure it fit the theme, I still worried endlessly until I got my first positive (and unsolicited) review. Burns Night, by the way, is a celebration of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, with a main course of haggis and root vegetables.

Since then, I’ve made these several times, always with great success. The best part was when one of the gentleman’s friends asked me if I’d brought the crepes again. Appetizer jackpot!

Once you get the hang of making crepes (or pancakes for that matter), this is a pretty easy starter to do, and you can make it ahead, since it’s a cold dish.

Serves: 10-15 people, as long as no one’s late (they go quickly!)

On The Counter:

Crepes:
2 large eggs
1 cup (120g) plain flour
1 1/4 cup (300ml) milk
5 tsp (25g) butter, melted
1/4 cup (10g) fresh parsley, chives & dill, chopped
salt and white pepper (black is fine, but white looks better)

Topping:
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/2 lb (225g) smoked salmon, finely diced
1 1/4 cups (300ml) crème fraîche
3 tbsp (5g) fresh parsley, chives & dill, chopped

What to Do:

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks pop. Gradually add in flour, milk and melted butter. Add in chopped herbs and combine. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place diced cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle salt on top. After 5 minutes, drain excess liquid. (You can also squeeze the cucumber between paper towels to remove more water.)

Melt a small amount of butter in a crepe pan or flat skillet over medium heat.

Fill an ice cream scoop and gently pour the batter so that it forms a thin circular layer. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until set. You should be able to flip it over easily. Flip it and cook for 30 seconds, until golden.

Repeat with all of the batter, stacking the crepes between sheets of parchment paper.

Place crème fraîche, 3 tbsp chopped herbs and cucumber into a medium bowl. Combine until well-mixed.

To serve, cut crepes into quarters. Top with a small piece of salmon and a generous spoonful of crème fraîche.

Apologies for the lack of good final dish photo… I didn’t get take a very good one before the hungry hordes descended!