Cranachan Cheese Cake,not just for Burns Night – but it is a very good excuse

".....In every job that must be done
there is an element of fun...
....the task you undertake becomes a piece of cake
....Just a spoonful of sugar helps the cranachan go down"

Cranachan: the uncontested king of Scottish desserts, or are there other pretenders to the crown? Unless your clan name is MacDonald and your family is one that celebrates Burns Night annually, you may well have missed sampling the Scottish whisky-spiked, raspberry-dotted, toasted pinhead oats and cream dessert known as Cranachan.
A traditional Scottish Cranachan is a very quick, easy recipe and is also a very festive recipe, so is perfect for any celebration and especially at Christmas, Hogmanay and rounds off a Burns' Night Supper beautifully.
 Scotland has a wonderful relationship with desserts and none more so, or more traditional, than with a spot of Scottish Cranachan. You will sometimes hear the dessert called 'crowdie,' as the cheese of the same name was sometimes used instead of the whipped cream.

From historic staples such as porridge, haggis and whisky through to modern creations like craft gin, haggis pakora and dare I say it, the deep fried Mars Bar. Scots have never been afraid to experiment and create new things and through the ages have provided the world with a love affair for some of its better known (and perhaps more infamous) creations.

Read more at: https://foodanddrink.scotsman.com/food/a-history-of-scottish-food-and-drink/

From historic staples such as porridge,haggis and whisky, through to modern creations like craft gin,haggis pakora and dare I mention it, the deep fried mars ba, Scots have never been afraid to come forward to experiment and become masters of re-invention.Through the ages they  have provided the world with a love affair for some of its better known
( and perhaps some more infamous) creations.

From historic staples such as porridge, haggis and whisky through to modern creations like craft gin, haggis pakora and dare I say it, the deep fried Mars Bar. Scots have never been afraid to experiment and create new things and through the ages have provided the world with a love affair for some of its better known (and perhaps more infamous) creations.

Read more at: https://foodanddrink.scotsman.com/food/a-history-of-scottish-food-and-drink/Its origins, however, do have a cheese of sorts in the original recipe.“It’s an ancient Scottish traditional dish and it used to be called Cream Crowdie. Crowdie—a soft and spreadable cheese,similar to ricotta or cottage cheese.Cranachan owes its origins to Crowdie,originally a popular breakfast in old days Crowdie cheese was served with lightly toasted oatmeal,cream, and local honey. “It would be mixed up together and wouldn’t be too thick. Raspberries,when in season, might be added to this.Please note there was an absence of Whisky at this stage of Cranachan´s history due to the time of day it was being served,mind you I have never known a scotsman turn his nose up to a wee dram at any possible opportunity.

So what exactly is cranachan?A layered pudding of just-whipped cream,toasted oatmeal
(pinhead, preferably),and raspberries that have been soaked in whisky and honey. There have been sightings on occasion of versions done with whisky-soaked raisins as well, making it more akin to a wintry Christmas pudding than the fresh, summer-centric dessert it was conceived as.Once again probably the whim of a Scottish chef who had no raspberries to hand.

Cranachan: not just for Scotland and not just for Burns Night this Friday – 

but it is a very good excuse.

I always think you should really go for it,push the goat out and create a pudding that makes everyone happy,That does not necessarily mean reinventing the wheel, but sometimes the classics are the best,and all they need is a little modern or proprietary twist to make them outstanding.I have applied many twists here.First of all cranachan is not traditionally served in the form of a baked cheesecake.Having tasted an authentic Crowdie cheese I felt confident enough about using ricotta as a substitute alongside mascarpone.The big twist however was taking the risk of giving the cheesecake an entirely more Scottish flavour by giving it a biscuit base made from oatcakes and honey.The recipients of this glorious pudding were in consensual agreement that this worked and would be applying the twist to other cheesecakes.Oh and before you take me up on it, my version omits the whisky.It didn´t seem right in this incarnation.

Thoroughly modern Cranachan
20cm / 8" loose bottomed cake tin

FOR THE BASE

250g/9oz finely-milled oatcakes
125g/4½oz unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
3 tbsp honey

FOR THE FILLING
60g/2¼oz pinhead (coarse) oatmeal
100g/3½oz caster sugar
350g/12oz crowdie or ricotta
350g/12oz mascarpone
4 medium eggs
200g/7oz fresh raspberries

FOR THE RASPBERRY COULIS
500g/1lb 2oz fresh raspberries
50g/1¾oz icing sugar

about 24 extra raspberries for decoration

Butter a deep 23cm/9in loose bottomed tin.
To make the base, put the oatcakes in a food processor and process until they are finely ground. Add the melted butter and honey and process again until thoroughly combined. Press this mixture evenly into the base of the tin and put it in the fridge to set (about an hour).
Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oatmeal and one teaspoon of the sugar. Toast them, tossing frequently, until golden. Tip onto a plate to cool.
Put the crowdie or ricotta, mascarpone, eggs and remaining caster sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth. Stir in the cooled, toasted oatmeal. Pour onto the set base and scatter over the raspberries.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cheesecake is set around the edges but still a bit wobbly in the middle. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside with the door ajar until the cheesecake is cool. (This will take a few hours but helps prevent the top of cheesecake from cracking.)
Meanwhile, to make the raspberry coulis, purée the raspberries and icing sugar together in a blender, or with a stick blender.When the cheesecake is cool pour the coulis over the top of the cheescake and line the circumference with fresh raspberries.

When it comes to the food at Christmas, I always think you should really go for it – push the boat out and create a standout meal that makes everyone happy. For me, that doesn’t necessarily mean reinventing the wheel – sometimes the classics are the best, and all they need is a little modern or personal twist to make them outstanding.

Read more at: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/tom-kitchin-recipes-for-a-standout-christmas-meal-1-3634074

When it comes to the food at Christmas, I always think you should really go for it – push the boat out and create a standout meal that makes everyone happy. For me, that doesn’t necessarily mean reinventing the wheel – sometimes the classics are the best, and all they need is a little modern or personal twist to make them outstanding.

Read more at: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/tom-kitchin-recipes-for-a-standout-christmas-meal-1-3634074

When it comes to the food at Christmas, I always think you should really go for it – push the boat out and create a standout meal that makes everyone happy. For me, that doesn’t necessarily mean reinventing the wheel – sometimes the classics are the best, and all they need is a little modern or personal twist to make them outstanding.

Read more at: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/tom-kitchin-recipes-for-a-standout-christmas-meal-1-3634074

When it comes to the food at Christmas, I always think you should really go for it – push the boat out and create a standout meal that makes everyone happy. For me, that doesn’t necessarily mean reinventing the wheel – sometimes the classics are the best, and all they need is a little modern or personal twist to make them outstanding.

Read more at: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/tom-kitchin-recipes-for-a-standout-christmas-meal-1-3634074