*NEW* - Welcome to our new Recipe page, featuring recipes printed in recent issues of 'A Bratach Bahn' - The Clan Mackay Newsletter.

MARMALADE

Marmalade was originally made with quinces and first commercially manufactured in Dundee from where it spread in popularity all over Britain.

Seville Orange Marmalade
2 lb. Seville oranges (about 5 large)
1 Lemon
6 cups water
71/2 cups granulated sugar

In a large wide saucepan or Dutch oven, combine oranges, lemon and water. Cover and bring to a simmer. Adjust heat and simmer gently 2 hours, without allowing mixture to boil. Turn off heat. With slotted spoon, remove fruit and let cool 5 minutes. Cut in half, scoop seeds, pulp and pith back into pan, reserving shells. Bring pulp and pith mixture to boil, boil hard 5 minutes.
Strain fruit mixture into bowl through colander lined with dampened cheesecloth. Gather ends of cloth together and twist out remaining juice. You should have 6 cups, make up difference with water, if necessary, Return to pan.
Cut reserved orange shells into very fine strips. Add to pan along with sugar, stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, Boil hard, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching for 25 to 30 min. or until setting point is reached.
Remove from heat and stir 5 min. skimming off any foam. Ladle into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch. Seal with melted paraffin wax and let cool. Add a second thin layer of wax, tilting and rotating jars to extend seal to rims. Cover with clean lids and store in a cool, dark, dry spot. Makes about 6- 8 oz jars.
Note: Setting Point test. drop small spoonful of hot marmalade onto one chilled plate and refrigerate 2 min. Run finger through marmalade, if it wrinkles, it has reached setting point. If not cook some more.

STOVIES

It is said in Scotland that if you do not like stovies, you are not a true Scot. Potatoes
Salt
Butter
Water.

Peel and put in a saucepan enough potatoes for dinner, and add just enough water to prevent burning. Sprinkle with salt and small knobs of butter. Cover tightly and simmer gently until soft and melted.

APPLE CRUMBLE

Mix together
l cup flour or 1/2 flour and 1/2 oatmeal
1/3 cup butter ( work together)
1/4 cup brown sugar add to crumbly mixture

Grease a 8 x8 pan.V Slice 3 apples into dish. Sprinkle with white sugar and nutmeg.
Spread crumbly mixture on top. Cook 350 degrees for 1/2 hour
Serve with whipped cream.

CLOUTIE DUMPLING

Sometimes spelt "Clootie" it gets its name from the "clout" or cloth in which it was traditionally boiled. This is a favourite at Christmas time and there have been many variations over the years as cooks have experimented. You may be glad to know that it doesn't have to be made in a "clout"!

Ingredients:
4 oz shredded suet or margarine (margarine makes a lighter dumpling)
8 oz (2½ cups) flour
4 oz oatmeal
3 oz sugar
Rounded teaspoon baking powder
8 oz mixed currants/sultanas/chopped raisins
One or 1½ teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and mixed spice
One teaspoon golden syrup (light corn syrup is the closest in N America)
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 tablespoons buttermilk

Method:
Sift the flour and rub in the fat (suet or margarine) in a large mixing bowl. Add all the other dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. Make a well in the centre and add the syrup and eggs and mix well. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft but firm batter. At Christmas, cooks often wrapped small coins (in the old days a silver three-penny piece was popular) in greaseproof paper and placed them in the dumpling. If you do add coins, warn those eating the dumpling later so as to avoid broken teeth!

You now have a choice of container. The traditional way was with a cloth. Dip it first in boiling water and flour it well before adding the mixture. Tie the top, making sure there is enough room for expansion. Place a saucer or plate in the bottom of a saucepan and stand the dumpling in the cloth on top. Cover with boiling water and cook for 2½ to 3 hours. Alternatively, you can use an 8-cup basin or pudding steamer which has been lightly greased with melted butter. Allow a one inch space at the top (even if this means throwing away some of the mixture - you need the space for expansion). Cover the steamer or basin with a greased sheet of foil and pour boiling water into the steamer until it comes two-thirds up the side. Boil for 3 hours.
Turn out the dumpling and either serve hot with custard or cold with cream.

BANNOCKS

2 handfuls of oatmeal
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup boiling water

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix in butter with knife until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the water. Mix to a dough. Roll out until thin and then cut into rounds (about the size of a jam lid). Cook at 200 degrees celsius for 10 minutes - may vary slightly depending on size rolled out.

SHORTBREAD

Shortbread is now eaten throughout the year, traditionally, it was associated with the Christmas or Hogmanay time and was derived from the ancient Yule Bannock, which was notched around the edge to signify the sun’s rays. Allow to age for to five days before serving.

Shortbread #1

2 Cup Sifted All-Purpose Flour
½ lb Cold Butter, cubed
½ cup Potato flour
½ cup sifted icing (confectioners) sugar
Put all ingredients in a large bowl and work with fingers until mixture is completely blended, five to ten minutes. Pat into a nine by nine inch cake pan and prick surface with a fork. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until light brown. Cut into 1” squares immediately after removing.

Shortbread #2

This recipe is made in a cookie pan about 9” x 12 ½ “ x ¾”
Do not grease the pan.
4 cups sifted flour
1 ½ cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 pound butter (cream the butter, it needs to be soft)
¼ teaspoon of salt

Cook at 275 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes
Use a ruler and score with a knife.
Score before it is cold, when it is about ¾” high, score rows 1” wide and about 2” long.

Shortbread #3

2 cups flour
3 tablespoons icing sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
salt
Have butter soft, beat all together for 2 minutes, use an electric beater. Drop by small teaspoons on a cookie sheet. Make hem like “hay stacks” Cook on the middle rack of the oven. Watch them as they brown fast. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 17 minutes. Could be decorated with icing sugar.

ATHOLE BROSE

My Dad made this for us every time my Mother went out for the evening. My sister Hazel and I loved it.

Toast 2 ounces oatmeal till a light golden brown. Beat 1 pint double cream till thick. Stir in oatmeal and 4 level tablespoons clear honey, or brown sugar. Just before serving stir in 4 tablespoons whisky. Pile into small glasses and serve. Needless to say, we did not get the whisky in ours.

SCOTCH EGGS

4 hardboiled eggs
A little seasoned flour
½ pound sausage meat
1 egg slightly beaten
bread crumbs
fat or oil for frying.

Chill eggs, remove shells. Roll in seasoned flour and cover in sausage meat. Dip in beaten egg. Coat with bread crumbs, pressing crumbs well in. Fry in hot, deep fat until golden brown. Drain and cut in half. Serve hot or cold.

HOLIDAY SWEETNESS

FRUITCAKE COOKIES

1/2 lb (225 g) dried figs about 16 stemmed, chopped.
1/4 lb (120 g) sultana raisins (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 lb (120 g) candied (glaze) cherries, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
6 oz. (170 g) chopped walnuts (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon each: honey, fresh lemon juice
Pinch plus 1/4 tsp salt
l cup butter
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 plus 2/3 cup all purpose flour ( that is 2 cups plus 2/3 cups)
Cut up figs with a pair of scissors small.
Put figs, raisins, cherries, walnuts all in a bowl add sherry , honey, lemon juice. ) I added a bit more sherry or wine say 2 more tablespoons)
Cover and leave overnight, mix up the mixture once in awhile.
Next day using electric mixer, cream butter, cloves and two sugars on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs slowly beat in flour and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until just combined.
divide dough in 3 ----cut a large piece of wax paper make a long log and wrap it up. Do this with each piece of dough. Roll it into a log. refrigerate for 2 or 3 hours.
cut logs into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place slices 1/2 inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake l5 to 20 minutes 350 oven. let cool. store in airtight container.

MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE

2 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tins mandarin oranges drained
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all together
Put in a greased 13 x 9 inch pan cook 50 minutes in 325 degree oven.
After cake is cooked, poke holes in cake and pour on the glaze.
Glaze : 1 l/2 cups brown sugar 6 tablespoons butter 6 tablespoons milk. Boil 5 Min.

ICE CREAM DESSERT

3 cups Special K Cereal (Original)
1 cup coconut
1 cup brown sugar and ½ cup butter cook till bubbling)
Then pour in coconut and Special K cereal.
Use 8 x 13 pan. Spread 2/3 of above in pan
Spread 2 L. Butterscotch Ripple Ice Cream over Special K mixture.
Sprinkle on the other 1/3 of the Special K Mixture.
Keep in Refrigerator. Excellent for a party at Christmas or a special occasion.

SCONES

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Margarine
¾ cup white sugar
1 egg
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder (don’t level off)
3/4 cup milk (approximately)
¼ teaspoon salt
Handful of raisins

Mix in a bowl. Using 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in 2/3 cup margarine until mixture is crumbly. Break 1 egg into a measuring cup. Fill with milk to the 1 cup mark. Use a fork to mix egg and milk in the cup. Add to dry ingredients and mix. Add a handful (or so) of raisins or currants, if desired.
Use your hands to form mixture into a ball. (You may have to use more flour so that it isn’t sticking to your fingers.) Cut the ball into 4 equal parts. Make each part into a small ball. Flatten small balls on a floured surface to make circle shapes about ¾ inch thick. (I poke raisins into batter. If they’re exposed, they tend to burn.) Score each circle shape into 4 parts.
Bake on a cookie sheet (I use one without sides. The recipe calls for a greased sheet but I’ve found it’s not necessary.) in a 400 oven for about 18 minutes until lightly browned. Makes 16 triangular pieces.

OAT CAKES

These little cookies are great with the Olive Spread that follows.
They keep nice and crunchy.
2 cups large flake rolled oats
1/2 cup walnut pieces
l cup all purpose flour
l tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tbs. packed brown sugar

In food processor, pulse oats with walnuts until powdery yet with small pieces. Transfer to mixing bowl, Whisk in flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly, stir in buttermilk to form stiff smooth dough.
Form into ball, wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. On floured surface, roll out dough to scant 1/4 inch thickness. Cut cookies with 2 inch round cookie cutter. Place on parchment paper lined or greased baking sheets.
Bake 350 oven for about 28 minutes or until edges are crisp and golden. Store in Airtight container.

OLIVE-NUT SANDWICH SPREAD

6 ounces cream cheese (soft)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
l cup chopped salad olives
2 Tablespoons olive juice from the jar
A dash of pepper (no salt)
Mix all together, this will stay fresh in fridge for one week.
Serve with Oatcakes or crackers.