Easy Traditional Scottish Cranachan

A very traditional Scottish dessert, through and through. It was originally a celebration of harvest, made following the raspberry harvest in June. The dessert of cream and fresh seasonal raspberries is bolstered by Scottish oats and whisky.

This is a very quick, easy recipe and is also a very festival recipe so is perfect for any celebration and especially at Christmas. In it's classic form it has only 5 ingredients-oats, raspberries, honey, cream and whisky. You will sometimes hear the dessert called "crowdie", as the cheese of the same name was sometimes used instead of the whipped cream.

Ingredients:

• 55g Scottish oats
• 250g fresh raspberries
• 475ml whipping cream
• 3 tbsp malt whisky
• 1 tbsp honey

Method:

Heat a large, heavy pan-based frying pan on the stove until hot, but not burning. 

Add the oats and continually stirring, toast the oats until they have a light, nutty smell and are only just beginning to change colour. Do not leave the oats unattended as the oatmeal can quickly burn, so they will need constant attention. Once toasted, remove immediately from the pan.

Keeping a handful of the raspberries to one side. Place the remainder into a food processor and whiz once or twice to create a thick puree. Do not over blend. It's ok if there is a few bigger lumps of fruits.

Alternatively, you can simply crush the raspberries with a fork, if you prefer. This will give you a more rustic-looking dish.

In a large, clean bowl, whisk the cream and whisky to form firm peaks. Take care not to over whip.

Finally, fold in the honey followed by the toasted oatmeal.

In either a large glass trifle bowl or into individual serving glasses, layer the dessert.  You can start with a layer of the cream or raspberries; it is up to you. Always finish with a layer of the cream and oatmeal. If you wish you can even sprinkle a little oatmeal on the top for decoration.

Cover the bowl or glasses with clingfilm and chill for a minimum of an hour.

To serve the cranachan, drizzle over a little extra honey and if you fancy, a piece or two of Scottish Shortbread.

Serve & enjoy