Clootie Dumpling

This is a very traditional Scottish dish - a boiled pudding/cake. A 'cloot' is a cloth, and it's used to wrap the dumpling in for cooking.

Ingredients

200g SR flour, plus extra for flouring the cloth

100g raisins

50g currants

25g mixed peel

50g sugar

1/2 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

50g suet

1 tsp black treacle

milk to mix

Method

Put a large pan of water on to boil, about half full. Mix all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add sufficient milk to make a 'dropping consistency'. This might be in the region of about 200ml, but use your judgement.

Scald a large tea towel in the boiling water, then carefully lay it on a flat surface. Shake flour over the tea towel and cover well. 

Put the dumpling min in the centre of the tea towel, and gather the edges. Shape the mix into a sphere. Tie off the cloth with string, leaving plenty of room for dumpling to expand.

Place a plate in the bottom of the saucepan and sit the dumpling on top. The water should reach about three quarters of the way up the dumpling. Put a lid on the pan and cook for 2 hours. Ensure the water doesn't leave the boil. Top up with additional boiling water when required.

After 2 hours, carefully remove the dumping and cleave to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the string and cloth. Then turn it upside down onto a plate and sit it in front of an open fire for 30 minutes. Alternatively, place in a low oven for 30 minutes. This allows the skin to dry off and gain a glossy surface. 

Eat hot or cold. It can be served with cream, ice cream, custard, or a dram of whisky. 

Notes

My Mam has no idea how long it keeps for as she's never had a chance to find out. Clootie Dumpling doesn't last long in her house!

I think I've seen my Dad toast a slice of clootie dumpling and spread butter on it, toasted tea cake style.

Peppermint Slice

Ingredients
250g digestive biscuits
50g butter
3 Tsp golden syrup

500g icing sugar
5Tsp water
peppermint essence
green food colour

100g chocolate

Method

Crush the biscuits. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the syrup. Boil for 2 minutes. Add the crushed biscuits. Flatten into a buttered swiss roll tin. Do not remove from the tin until the peppermint slice has been fully assembled.

Mix the icing sugar with the water to make a stiff paste. Add a few drops of peppermint, and as much or as little green colouring as you want. Spread over the base and leave to set for 1-2 hours.

Melt the chocolate and gently pour over the peppermint layer. When the chocolate is cool, but not completely hard, cut into squares or slices. Alternatively, add a little cream or butter to the melted chocolate to prevent it hardening completely. This gives a softer topping and allows for easier cutting.

Notes

This can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free digestive biscuits. Other biscuits of a similar texture can be used, eg shortbread.

Malteser Tray Bake

Ingredients

100g butter

200g milk chocolate

3 tbsp golden syrup

250g digestive biscuits, crushed

225g Maltesers

200g milk or white chocolate for topping.

Method

Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup. Add the crushed biscuits and Maltesers. Mix together then pour into a greased baking tin and chill until set.

Melt the additional chocolate and pour over the top. Decorate by placing a Malteser on top of each square before the chocolate sets.

Variation

Mini marshmallows can also be added.

Lemon and Coconut Slice

Ingredients

Base

80g butter

250g condensed milk

250g digestive biscuits, crushed

250g desiccated coconut

1 lemon

Topping

240g icing sugar

30g butter, melted

3 Tsp lemon juice

extra desiccated coconut for decoration

Method

Base: Melt the butter, add the condensed milk, crushed biscuits, coconut, the juice of the lemon (reserve 3Tsp for the topping), and the zest of the lemon. Press into a Swiss roll tin lined with baking parchment.

Topping: Mix together the icing sugar, lemon juice and melted butter. Spread over the base.  Sprinkle a little coconut over the topping before it sets.

Variations

Use gluten-free digestives for a gluten-free lemon slice.

Pineapple Delight

Ingredients

Base

250g digestive biscuits

2 dessert sp golden syrup

50g butter

Middle

80g butter

140g icing sugar

1 egg

Topping

1 can crushed pineapple (450g)

290ml double cream

chocolate curls

Method

Base: Put the butter and syrup in a saucepan. Crush the digestive biscuits. When the butter had melted add the crushed biscuits to the butter and syrup. Spread the mixture over a greased Swiss roll tin.

Middle: Cream the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Spread over the biscuit base.

Topping: Drain the pineapple and spread over the tray. Whip the cream and add to the top of the pineapple. Decorate with chocolate curls.

If you are unable to find crushed pineapple, use pineapple chunks cut into smaller pieces.

Variations
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free digestive biscuits.

A tasty alternative is to use ginger biscuits instead of digestives.

Paradise Slice

Ingredients

Base

100g butter

60g sugar

90g plain flour

1 egg, beaten

Topping

100g butter

100g sugar

2 eggs, beaten

25g ground almonds

25g glace cherries

25g sultanas

25g raisins

40g plain flour

Method

To make the base, rub together the flour and butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add the egg and mix into a dough. Roll out the pastry to line the base of a Swiss roll tin.

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

For the topping, cream the butter and sugar, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Spoon on top of the pastry base.;

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden, and the centre of the cake is springy. Remove from the oven and dust with caster sugar.

Fruit Loaf

Ingredients

3 cups dried fruit

1.5 cups water

1.5 cups sugar

170g butter

3 tsp mixed spice

3 cups SR flour 

3 eggs

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 170C. Line 3 loaf tins.

Into a saucepan put the dried fruit, water, sugar, butter and mixed spice. Bring to the boil and then hold at a rolling simmer fo 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool.

Mix well the flour (I use Dove Farm Gluten-free SR Flour), eggs and fruit mixture. Divide between the 3 loaf tins and bake for about an hour.

Luscious Lemon Cake

Ingredients

170g butter

225g sugar

3 eggs

300g SR flour

100ml milk

zest of 2 lemons

Syrup

juice of 2 lemons

4.5 Tsp icing sugar

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Grease two loaf tins and line with baking parchment.

Combine all ingredients of the cake and mix until light and fluffy. Divide between the loaf tines. Bake for 50-60 minutes.

Make the syrup by combing the icing sugar and the juice of the lemon. Whilst the cakes are very hot, spoon the syrup over the cake and allow them to soak up the syrup.

Variations

To make the lemon cake gluten-free use Dove Farm Self-Raising Flour.

Mars Bar Crunch

Ingredients

75g butter

3 Mars Bars (~180g)

2 Tsp golden syrup

3 cups Rice Krispies

200g chocolate

Method

Cut the Mars Bars into small pieces. Melt butter, golden syrup and Mars Bars together. Add Rice Krispies and mix well.

Press the mixture into buttered tray. Cover with melted chocolate. Leave to set. Cut into squares.

Variations

Neither Mars Bars nor Rice Krispies are gluten-free. Snicker Crunch can be made by substituting Snickers for the Mars Bars, and Nature's Path Crispy Rice for Rice Crispies.  These are both gluten-free.

Auntie June's Kitchen

My Mam is a prolific baker. She is known where ever she goes for the bakes goods and sweets she takes along. All of the family, and friends, have their favourites.

A little while back I had the notion of collecting Mam's best beloved recipes together in one place. This will be the collection point, and the tag for her recipes will be Auntie June's Kitchen. Whilst she is 'Mam' to two people, 'Grandma' to four, she is 'Auntie June' to at least 50 people.

At the top of the right hand column of the blog there's two links. The first the index for the recipes on this blog, and the second gives a list of all my Mam's recipes.

The recipe below is my brother's favourite, Bombs! Apparently other people call them Chocolate Truffles, but in my family, they are Bombs.

Ingredients

100g digestive biscuits (Graham Crackers in the US)

2 tablespoons (rounded) drinking chocolate

3 tablespoons (rounded) desiccated coconut

200g sweetened condensed milk

50g of melted butter

chocolate vermicelli or coconut

Method

Place the butter and condensed milk in a saucepan and heat until the butter melts into the condensed milk. Crush the digestive biscuits. Add the biscuit crumbs, drinking chocolate, and desiccated coconut. Mix well, and then leave to solidify.

Roll into balls, and then coat in chocolate vermicelli or coconut.

Variations

I make a gluten-free version by using gluten-free digestive biscuits.

A more sophisticated version of can be made by adding 30g of finely chopped candied peel to the mixture. Then dipping the balls in melted dark chocolate, and decorating with a tiny bit of candied peel.

Granny's Pancakes

This is an old family recipe.  Well... sort of. My Granny (great-grandmother) made pancakes and these were loved by all of the family. My Grandma made them, and then my Mam.  

When my children were little they loved eating pancakes when they were at their Grandma's house. One day, they said it was a shame that I couldn't make pancakes. They were very surprised to learn that I could make pancakes, and they pestered me to make them every Saturday morning for breakfast. Later, I made them when I felt like it. But they were always requested for people's birthday breakfasts.

Pancakes were the first thing I tried to adapt after my diagnosis with Coeliac Disease. They adapted really well. So, here are Granny's Pancakes, with a bit less sugar, and free from gluten.

Ingredients

2 cups of Dove Farm plain flour 

3 rounded teaspoons of baking powder 

1 large egg 

1/2 cup of sugar 

1 1/4 cups of milk 

Method

Combine all the ingredients thoroughly. Take one tablespoonful of the pancake batter to make a pancake. Drop it onto a girdle, or frying pan, over a low to medium heat. When the mixture is bubbling all over turn the pancake over and cook the other side. Both sides should be a lovely golden brown colour.  

Only once have I been able to test whether they freeze well. (They do.) Normally, our problem is they disappear too quickly.