Whiskey Cake

Whiskey Cake

Ingredients:
6 ounces sultanas

1/2 pint water
4 ounces butter
5 ounces caster sugar
I egg
2 tablespoons whiskey
6 ounces plain flour
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/2 ounces finely chopped walnuts

 

Method:
Cover sultanas with water and simmer for 1/4 hour.
Drain, but save a little of the liquid. Cream butter and
sugar and beat in the egg. Stir in flour, bicarbonate of
soda, salt and nutmeg alternately, with approximately 2
tablespoons of liquid from the sultanas. Stir in sultanas,
lemon juice, chopped walnuts and whiskey. Pour into
two 8-inch sandwich tins and bake for 30 minutes at
350°F (Gas 4).

Filling and Topping:

Ingredients:

2 ounces butter
7 ounces. icing sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 dessertspoon whiskey

Method:

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add the lemon
juice and the whiskey and beat further until the
consistency of smooth cream. Use half to sandwich the
two cakes together and the remainder put into an icing
bag with a star nozzle and pipe a trellis design across the
top. Note: this cake is not suitable for storing.

Digestive Biscuits

Digestive Biscuits
 

Ingredients:

4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp Cream of tartar

1 cup butter

1 Lightly beaten egg

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup hot water

1 tsp Baking soda

Method:

Cut butter into flour until mixture is like coarse meal. Add all other ingredients, but only enough water to make dough into pastry consistency. Roll out on a floured surface till very thin 1/8" to 1/4" thick). Cut into small rounds depending on what size you prefer. Bake at 375 F on *unoiled* baking sheets until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Cool on rack. They are delicious spread with cream cheese and apricot preserves --or strawberry, or red currant jelly, etc.

Sweet Brodick Bannock

Sweet Brodick Bannock

This recipe is from the household book of the late Mary,
Duchess of Montrose, last owner of Brodick Castle on the
Isle of Arran.

Ingredients:
2 oz sugar
6 oz brown flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 oz oatmeal
1 egg
1 oz butter
3 tablespoons milk

Method:
Mix together flour, baking powder and rub in the butter.
Add sugar and oatmeal and mix well. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, add the egg and milk and mix to a soft dough. Shape into a flat round bannock shape about 1/2 inch thick. Cook in a hot oven. Gas 6, 200 degrees C
(400 F) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Recipe Converter 

The U.S. pint is 16 fluid ounces, and not 20 fl.oz like the British Imperial pint.

1 U.S. cup = 8 fl.oz = 250 ml
1 British cup = 10 fl.oz = 300 ml
The teaspoon and tablespoon measurements are the same.
1 teaspoon = 5 ml
1 tablespoon = 15 ml
1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons

Scotch Pie

Scottish Recipes
- Scotch Pie -
Large numbers of Scotch Pies are sold in Scotland every day - they are an original "fast food" and are often sold at the half-time interval at football (soccer) matches. The pies are made in special straight-sided moulds, roughly 3 to 3-1/2 inches (7.5-8.5cm) in diameter and about 1-1/2 inches (4cm) deep. A pastry lid, inside the pie, covers the meat about 1/2 inch (1cm) below the rim. This leaves a space at the top of the pie which can be filled, if required - with hot gravy, baked beans, mashed (creamed) potatoes etc. The meat is usually mutton (sometimes of varying quality). Many bakers have their own recipes and add spices to give additional flavour - there is now an annual competition for the best Scotch Pie.
Grannie Black, in Candleriggs in Glasgow, was a character who had such a reputation for such good mutton pies that people came from far and wide - the pub named after her (pictured here) has, unfortunately, been demolished.
The quantities below should make roughly 8/10 pies.

Ingredients for the Meat Filling:
1 pound (500g or two cups) lean lamb, minced (ground)
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Quarter pint (150ml) gravy

Ingredients for the Hot Water Pastry:
1 pound (500g or four cups) plain flour
6 ounces (175g or 3/4 cup) lard
6 fluid ounces (225ml or 3/4 cup) approximately of water
Pinch of salt
Milk for glazing
You will also need glasses or jars, approximately 3-3½ inches (7.5-8.5cm) in diameter to shape the pie.
Method:
Create the filling by mixing the minced (ground) lamb, spice and seasoning.
Make the pastry by sifting the flour and salt into a warm bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Melt the lard in a scant measure of water and, when it is bubbling, add to the flour and mix thoroughly. Take a small amount (remember the mixture should make 8/10 pies, with their tops) and form into a ball and keep the rest warm while making each pastry case. This is done by rolling a suitable amount for each pie and shaping the crust round the base of a glass or jar approximately 3-3½ inches (7.5-8.5cm) in diameter. Make sure there are no cracks in the pastry - you can trim round the top of the case to make it even. As the pastry cools and gets cool, remove the glass and continue until you have about a quarter of the pastry left to make the lids.
Fill the cases with the meat and add the gravy to make the meat moist.
Roll the remaining pastry and use the glass to cut the lids. Wet the edges of the lids, place over the meat and press down lightly over the filling. Pinch the edges and trim. Cut a small hole or vent in the centre of the lid (to allow the steam to escape).
Glaze with milk and bake for about 45 minutes at 275F/140C/Gas mark 1. If the pies are not eaten immediately, they can be stored in the 'fridge but always ensure they are properly reheated before being eaten.

Limerick Ham

Limerick Ham To the Irish, ham is a cured leg of pork. The preserving process is carried out in a number of different ways: salting, smoking, immersion in brine or even honey. Traditionally, Limerick ham is smoked over juniper branches. Whole hams should be steeped in cold water overnight before cooking but this is not necessary with smaller joints. The ham in this recipe is not really baked but rather finished off in the oven after having been cooked by simmering in cider.

---

3 - 5 lb / 1-1/2 - 2 kg ham

apple cider to cover

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

10 - 12 whole cloves

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Cover the ham with cold water and bring slowly to the boil. Throw out the water and replace with cider. Bring this just to the boil and lower the heat, keeping the liquid barely simmering for 20 minutes to the 1 lb/ 1/2 kg. Remove from the heat and allow to stand in the liquid for 30 minutes. Take out the ham, skin it and score the fat with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern. Stud with whole cloves. Mix the sugar and mustard and rub well into the surface of the ham. Bake in a pre-heated oven for a further 10 minutes to the 1 lb / 1/2 kg at gas mark 6, 400°F, 200°C.

Christmas

One way to keep Jesus Christ in your Christmas celebrations is to have Jesus Christ present in your daily life. Keeping Christ in Christmas is more about the way you live your life than the things you say - such as "Merry Christmas" versus "Happy Holidays."

Keeping Christ in Christmas means daily praise, love and the spirit of Christ that dwells in you and by allowing these traits to shine through your actions. Here are some simple ways to keep Christ as the central focus of your life during this season.

1. Give God one very special gift from you and you alone.

Let this gift be something personal that no one else needs to know about, and let it be a sacrifice. David said in 2 Samuel 24 that he would not offer a sacrifice to God that cost him nothing. Your gift to God might be to forgive someone you have needed to forgive. You may discover that you've given a gift back to yourself.

Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian who survived extreme brutality in a German concentration camp after rescuing many Jews from certain death during the Nazi Holocaust, was later able to say, "Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you."
Perhaps your gift will be to commit to spending time with God daily. Or maybe there is something you should be giving up. Make this your most important gift of the season.

2. Set aside a special time to read the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:1-20.

Consider reading this with your family and discussing it together.

3. Set up a Nativity scene in your home.

4. Plan a project of good will this Christmas.

5. Take a group Christmas caroling to a nursing home, a children's hospital, group home or foster care centre.

6. Give a surprise gift of service to each member of your family.

Jesus taught us that it is "more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35 (NIV)

7. Set aside a time of family devotion on Christmas eve or Christmas morning.

Before opening the gifts, take a few moments to gather together as a family in prayer and devotion. Read a few Bible verses and discuss as a family the true meaning of Christmas.

8. Attend a Christmas church service together with your family or invite friends and family over to acknowledge this time of year.

If you are alone this Christmas or do not have family living close by, invite a friend or a neighbor to join you.

9. Send Christmas cards that convey spiritual messages.

This is an easy way to share your faith at Christmas time. If you've already purchased your cards - no problem. Just write a Bible verse and include a personal message with each card.

10. Write a Christmas letter or send a Christmas card to our men and women overseas who are fighting for our PEACE throughout the world.

You can never do a kindness too soon,
for you never know how soon it will be too late.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Mince Pie

Mince Pie

Ingredients

PASTRY:
Pastry is for top and bottom crust using an 8" pie plate
8 oz. (220 g) all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
2 oz. (50 g) room temperature lard, cut into small pieces
2 oz. (50 g) room temperature butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons ice water
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MINCE PIE INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
*You can use a blend of beef and pork if you like.

1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can Campbell's condensed Golden Mushroom soup or Cream of Mushroom soup

6 tablespoons beef stock
1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce or 4-1/2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
a few drops of cooking oil

Directions

PASTRY DIRECTIONS:
Sift the flour and pinch of salt into a large bowl.
Add the lard and butter using a knife to mix it into the flour until it is blended.
Lightly rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly.
Add 2 tablespoons water, a little at a time, blend the dough together with your fingertips.
When enough water is added, the pastry should leave the bowl fairly clean.
Put the pastry in a plastic food bag and leave it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to "rest".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MINCE PIE DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400° F / 200° C
Saute onions and garlic in a large skillet on medium heat until caramelized.
Leave them in the pan, uncovered, stirring every few minutes until they are light brown.
Add spices, sauces and soup.
Simmer the mixture gently for about 10 minutes and thoroughly heated.
Roll out the pastry and line the greased pie plate.
Add the meat into it.
Cover with a second pie shell, trim edges neatly of excess dough with a knife and press the edges of the top and bottom crusts together really well with the back of a fork to seal in the meat filling.
Brush the top of the pie shell with a little oil so it browns nicely in the oven, and cut four or five small slits in the top so the steam within can escape as it bakes.
Bake in a pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden.
Serve with potatoes, your favourite vegetables and gravy.
Serves 4.

Scotch Broth

Scotch Broth

Prep. Time:25m Cooking Time: 80m Serves:4

Ingredients

2lb / 1 kg lamb or mutton, trimmed of fat
*I prefer using lamb shanks but it's up to you.
1 large onion,
1 large leek, rinsed and chopped
3oz / 75g split peas
3oz / 75g pearl barley - I always add more barley
3 carrots, pealed and diced
1 medium swede(rutabaga), peeled and diced
water or broth

Directions

Soak the peas and barley for an hour or so
Rinse under cold water and drain
In a large pot sweat the onion in a little butter or lard to soften
Add the meat and cover with water
Bring to the boil, and skim off the surface deposit
Add the pre-soaked barley and peas
Simmer for 40 minutes
Add the remaining vegetables
Continue simmering gently until just cooked.
Remove the lamb bone, leave to cool
Take meat off the bone and chop it. Then return the lamb to the soup.
Add parsley just before serving.
Serve steaming hot and with homemade rolls or bread.
Serves 4-6 people depending on the appetites.