It’s going to be a strange Mother’s Day for many this year and our thoughts are particularly with those who are on their own this Sunday. As we could all do with a treat, here’s a super-easy, indulgent dessert to try this weekend. And I do mean super-easy - this is not one of those recipes which promise to be simple and then require you to make a Genoese sponge or get out the blow torch. The most faffy step is possibly toasting the oatmeal but even this is easy (just keep checking as it can go from lovely toasty nuttiness to charred quite quickly) and it does make the whole house smell lovely and homely.
This is our own recipe based on the wonderful Cranachan. If you haven’t come across this dish, it is probably the most famous Scottish dessert. Scotland has some other fab sounding sweet treats, include the hearty Cloutie dumpling or Ecclefechan tarts, but Cranachan is probably the best known. The name comes from the Scottish Gaelic 'crannachan' meaning ‘churn’. Originally this dish was a popular breakfast made of crowdie cheese, combined with toasted oatmeal, honey and cream. It has evolved to typically include whisky (Scotch Whisky is spelled without the e, whereas Irish is spelled with an e) and raspberries. Here we swap the raspberries for a more seasonal pink rhubarb and add a little warming ginger as it goes so well with both rhubarb and whisky. See you soon and if you try it, let us know how you got on!
Kinlochlaich Rhubarb and Ginger Cranachan
Rhubarb and ginger compote:
400g young rhubarb, washed and chopped into rough pieces
2 tbsp strong ginger ale
100g caster sugar
400ml double cream
60g oatmeal
Large pinch ginger and cinnamon
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp whisky
Shortbread for serving
First, toast the oats - you can do this in a preheated oven (c 10 mins at c170C), spread thinly on a greased baking tray or just in a skillet on the top. Sprinkle the spice over and stir to prevent burning - watch carefully!
To make the compote, put the rhubarb, ginger ale and sugar in a saucepan and cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally until the rhubarb is soft but not disintegrating. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Whip the cream so it creates soft peaks (don’t over whip), then add the whisky and honey and whip until it is thick again.
Carefully fold in half the compote and two-thirds of the oats into the cream mixture and spoon into individual glasses and chill. Serve with the rest of the compote and oatmeal on top, ideally with shortbread on the side.