Alright, so I got this idea in my head to make Cranachan. You know, that dessert from Scotland. Saw something about its ingredients, maybe it was in the New York Times, maybe not, doesn’t really matter where. The point is, the list of stuff you needed looked pretty straightforward, and I thought, “I can do that.”
First off, the oats. This is where things can go wrong right at the start if you’re not careful. You can’t just grab any old breakfast oats. I mean, you could, but it wouldn’t be right. I hunted around for some decent steel-cut oats, or pinhead if you can get ’em. Rolled oats are okay, I suppose, if you’re in a real bind. I learned my lesson years ago trying to use that instant stuff – turned into a right mushy mess. So, good oats, that was priority one.
Then, the whisky. Obviously, it’s a Scottish dessert, so you’re thinking Scotch. And you’d be right. I had a bottle of something decent enough gathering dust on the shelf. Nothing too fancy, but not the cheap paint-stripper kind either. You want something with a bit of flavour that’ll come through. I poured a little bit out, just to check. Seemed about right for the job.
Next up, cream. Double cream, the good thick stuff. Whipping it can be a bit of a gamble sometimes. You stand there with the whisk, or the electric mixer if your arm’s giving out, and you’re just hoping it thickens up right. Go too far, and suddenly you’ve got sweet butter. Not what we’re aiming for here. So, I was pretty careful with that.
Raspberries. Fresh ones are the best, no doubt about it. I went down to the local shop to see what they had. Sometimes they look all bright and perfect, but then they taste of absolutely nothing, just watery. These ones seemed okay, a bit tart, but that’s where the honey comes in, I guess. If you can only get frozen, well, that’s life. Thaw them out properly, though.
And finally, honey. Now, if you’re a purist, you’re looking for Scottish heather honey. Good luck with that if you’re not actually in Scotland. I just used a decent runny honey I had in the cupboard. Does the trick. The main thing is that it’s got a nice flavour that’ll mix well with the whisky and cream.
Getting it all together
So, with all the bits and pieces gathered, I got started. First thing was toasting those oats. Just in a dry pan, no oil or anything. You have to keep them moving, otherwise, they catch and burn in a heartbeat. Stir, stir, stir. Wait for that nutty smell. That’s when you know they’re done. I tipped them onto a plate to cool down.
While the oats were cooling, I tackled the cream. Poured it into a bowl, added a splash of that whisky and a good squeeze of honey. Then I started whipping. Kept an eye on it, aiming for soft peaks, you know, so it holds its shape but isn’t stiff like concrete. Tasted it. Maybe added a tiny bit more whisky. For flavour, of course.
The raspberries needed a bit of attention too. I took about half of them and just lightly crushed them with a fork. Not making a puree, just breaking them up a bit. Kept the other half whole for putting on top later. Looks nicer that way.
Then it was assembly time. I got out some glasses. You want to see the layers, that’s half the appeal.
- First, a layer of the toasted oats.
- Then a good dollop of the whisky-honey cream.
- Then a spoonful of the crushed raspberries, and a few whole ones.
I just repeated those layers until the glasses were full. Some folks like to mix the oats right into the cream, but I prefer to keep them separate. You get more of a texture contrast that way, I think.
Popped them in the fridge for a little while. Maybe half an hour. Just lets all the flavours get to know each other. Don’t leave it too long, though, or the oats can go a bit soft. Learned that one the hard way on a previous attempt a long time ago.
And that was that. Cranachan. Not too complicated when you break it down. The ingredients do all the heavy lifting, really. Tasted pretty good, if I do say so myself. Worth the small bit of effort, especially when you get good raspberries.
