Ballater Scones

 

These scones are not only named after the village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland but are connect to a farmer's wife, Mrs. Macnab, who lived near the area and had well known baking skills. It is said that she would often have tea with King Frederick of Prussia and other guests at Balmoral. Rustic and crisp on the outside and a tender buttery flaky texture inside, perfect for any occasion and especially lovely with a wee dram of whisky to toast Scottish poet, Robert Burns, on Burns Night.  

  

Ballater Scones

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1 lb. (3 cups) all purpose flour 

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

3 oz. (1/3 cup) butter

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1/2 pint (300 ml/1 & 1/4 cups) tepid milk

Preheat oven to 450ºF (230ºC). Lightly grease a baking tray or line the tray with baking parchment. 

Sift flour and cream of tartar into a a large bowl. Using clean dry hands rub in butter. Dissolve baking soda in the milk. Stir into dry ingredients. Knead to a stiff dough. Roll out on a lightly floured board into a round about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Cut into rounds, 2 to 2 1/2 inches across. Bake a little apart on the prepared baking tray in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. When done, brush the tops lightly with milk. Serve split and buttered. 

Notes: I used a 2 and 3/4 inch (69 mm) round cutter. 

Slow Cooker Highland Beef Stew

A very rich and hearty beef stew that is great on it's own or served with tatties and neeps (potatoes and turnips). Although I served it with a round of Bannock, that did just nicely.      

Slow Cooker Highland Beef Stew

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1 1/2 kg stewing beef, cut into 2inch/5cm pieces

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 bay leaves

2 x 440ml cans of dark Stout, preferably Scottish

100g smoked streaky bacon, roughly chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 cups brown mushrooms, chopped

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup Port 
frozen peas, optional
chopped parsley for garnish  

Place the beef, garlic and bay leaves in a large non metallic bowl and pour the Stout over top. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for a least an hour or overnight. 

Transfer the meat to the slow cooker. Keep the remaining marinade and set aside. Add the chopped onions, chopped mushrooms and chopped bacon. Sprinkle the flour over top and give everything a toss. Pour the Port over the meat and vegetable mixture and then pour the reserved marinade over top of everything. Give a gentle stir. 

Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or High for 3 to 5 hours

Add the frozen peas in the last half hour of the cooking time. And serve with fresh chopped parsley. 

Notes: Slow cookers vary so cooking times may vary. If you find that the stew's sauce is not thick enough you can mix a bit of cornstarch with water and add that to thicken the sauce when the stew is done. If you can not find a dark Scottish Stout then use Guinness or any other dark Stout. If you do not want to use Port then red wine may be substituted.   

Hope everyone had a great weekend! - JD

Caledonian Spritzer

If you are looking for a different cocktail to toast Robert Burn's Night, on January 25th, then this, earthy cocktail, may be it. 

Caledonian Spritzer

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makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 oz Scotch

1 oz Riesling

1 oz pineapple juice

1/2 oz thyme syrup

thyme sprig for garnish, optional

Combine ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake hard to combine and chill ingredients. Strain into a low cocktail glass over ice. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! -JD 

Blackthorn Cocktail

As you know Monday was Robert Burns Day and of course we had an evening tipple to toast the late Scottish poet. The Blackthorn Cocktail is a lovely sipping cocktail and may be enjoyed before or after dinner. Usually I am not one for whisky however the combination of flavours do work well here and produce an impressively smooth cocktail. 

Blackthorn Cocktail

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ICE CUBES

2 ounces Scotch Whisky 

1 ounce Sweet Vermouth

1/4 ounce Absinthe

3 dashes Angostura Bitters

lemon twist, for garnish

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the whisky, sweet vermouth, absinthe, and bitters. Shake well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Twist the lemon twist over the glass and let it drop in. 

It is as simple as that! 

An Irish Whiskey would probably be fine too. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. We did! The past couple of days I have been battling this cold/flu virus that is going around. Feeling a bit better today which is a bonus although not 100 percent. - JD