Cranachan with Heather Honey
Whipped cream mixed with crunchy toasted oats, heather honey and wild raspberries, laced with a dash of whisky. Sweet and tart, it is the tenderest of Scottish desserts.
Whipped cream mixed with crunchy toasted oats, heather honey and wild raspberries, laced with a dash of whisky. Sweet and tart, it is the tenderest of Scottish desserts.
To finish gently, let me present this treat that our goodwives deem strengthening. Toast the oats until they smell of hazelnuts, mix them with beaten cream, honey from our heather and a handful of wild raspberries — and, if you wish, a dram of whisky. It is little, and it is delicious: two qualities that, as you will see, go together more often than one thinks.
- •Thick fresh cream — a bowl (base)
- •Oatmeal — a handful (toasted crunch)
- •Heather honey — as desired (sweetness)
- •Wild raspberries — a handful (acidity)
- •Whisky (eau-de-vie) — a dash (flavour (optional))
Cranachan with Heather Honey
Whipped cream mixed with crunchy toasted oats, heather honey and wild raspberries, laced with a dash of whisky. Sweet and tart, it is the tenderest of Scottish desserts.
Why this dish? Comforting Lowlands sweet made with oats, cream and honey, given as a restorative; a simple delight that Hume, a quiet epicurean, enjoyed after long evenings of work.
To finish gently, let me present this treat that our goodwives deem strengthening. Toast the oats until they smell of hazelnuts, mix them with beaten cream, honey from our heather and a handful of wild raspberries — and, if you wish, a dram of whisky. It is little, and it is delicious: two qualities that, as you will see, go together more often than one thinks.
Ingredients (period version)
- Thick fresh cream — a bowl (base)
- Oatmeal — a handful (toasted crunch)
- Heather honey — as desired (sweetness)
- Wild raspberries — a handful (acidity)
- Whisky (eau-de-vie) — a dash (flavour (optional))
Ingredients
- Heavy whipping cream — 300 ml (base)
- Rolled oats — 50 g (toasted crunch)
- Honey (heather if possible) — 3 tbsp (sweetness)
- Raspberries — 200 g (acidity)
- Scotch whisky — 1 tbsp (optional) (flavour)
Method
- Toast the rolled oats dry in a pan until golden, let cool.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks with 1 spoonful of honey and the whisky.
- Gently fold in most of the toasted oats.
- Layer in glasses: cream, crushed and whole raspberries, a drizzle of honey.
- Finish with reserved toasted oats and a final drizzle of honey; serve chilled.
How it was made : Cranachan derives from 'crowdie cream', a mixture of fresh cheese, oats and cream served at harvest festivals. Before cultivated raspberries, wild summer berries were used; heather honey, harvested from the moors, sweetened in place of expensive refined sugar.
The contemporary twist : Served in a clear glass to show the layers, sprinkled with oatcake shards for double crunch.
Sources : F. Marian McNeill, The Scots Kitchen (1929) · Catherine Brown, Scottish Cookery (1985)
David Hume · Charactorium