Scottish Flummery Chocolate and Orange Gluten-free Shotglass Recipe

Flummery is not only the favourite retort of Rex Stout's epicurean detective, Nero Wolfe but it is also a most delicious festive dessert. Its beginnings however, were far from gourmet, as it started life as a lowly gruel cum porridge,  made from the fermented soakings and rinsings of various cultivated cereals. To be exact, the inner husks. In Scotland flummery was made from oat husks and 'sowans' or as it was called in the gaellic, sùghan was a drink or dish laced, on festive occasions with usquebaugh, the water of life. In fact this culinary speciality was so engrained within Scottish Tradition that in Aberdeen and surrounding areas the 24th of December was known as 'Sowans Nicht'.

As time went by this essential food of the poor and/or 'diet drink for the sick' was enriched with cream and alcohol to become a suitable addition to the Georgian Christmas board. For, with the inclusion in the recipe of hartshorn jelly and ground rice, flummery became stiff enough to be moulded. In the 18th Century Josiah Wedgwood's potteries had perfected the making of china dessert moulds. This was then the apogée of flummery as a festive centrepiece, one of the most famous of these being, 'Temple Flummery', a sweet re-creation of Solomon's Temple. Below is the recipe for the latter and a picture of the equally amazing 'Eggs and Bacon Flummery' from The Experienced English Housekeeper by Elizabeth Raffald, published in 1782.

However, to me both these were eclipsed by the astounding 'Gilded Fish Pond', in which the flummery was covered with a layer of real gold leaf! This makes my simple tinted flummery, with mocha and marmalade in a shotglass, pretty tame!

You can of course use shop-bought marmalade for this recipe. It is, however, quite simple just to make up a quick batch from a few citrus fruits and their rinds. If you are outside the (very short) season for bitter oranges, then you may just need to use more lemon juice and less sugar to get that fine aigre-doux balance. This is a dessert that suffers, just as marmalade itself does,  if you overdo the sweetness. I will put a link to my marmalade recipe and that for chocolate orange peels, which I use as a decoration, at the bottom of the page.

Here again, as this is a gluten-free recipe, I'm using rum instead of whisky. As previously discussed, the latter can contain added malt. I've even made this dessert with a fruit syrup/liqueur and that was good too! I am also using actual oats rather than the 'rinsings', so my flummery has texture and bite.

INGREDIENTS 

(makes 18 - 20 dependent on the size of shot glass)

The live golden coloured links below will take you to certified organic, gluten-free ingredients.

300ml or ½ a pint of raw crème fraîche épaisse*, whipping or thick cream plus a little extra for decoration.

75g (3oz) toasted rolled, pinhead or steel cut gluten-free oats (here I've used rolled)

1 tablespoon of raw honey rapadura or raw cane sugar

2 tablespoons of rum

2 tablespoons of Seville marmalade

1 tablespoon of freshly brewed coffee

4 squares of  dark confectionery chocolate

For decorating - extra marmalade, chocolate dipped candied orange peels, cream and cocoa.

*This is cream which has been left to stand and cool after full cream milk, such as A2 raw Normandy, has been run through a separator. I know this because some years ago I got up at, what was to me, the crack of dawn to go and film the process at our local organic farm. I'll link the article below for those interested.

METHOD - Making Basic Flummery

In a frying pan and with quite a high heat, toast the oats until they smell nutty (a few minutes) move them around the pan so they get an even toasting. Leave to cool.

If you are using a thin crème fraîche then you will need to whip this up prior to incorporating the rest of the ingredients. You can over-beat cream so I usually beat it until it forms something that looks like the leaves of a book. However, for the last five years I have been able to get my cream directly from the separator - raw and organic and so thick a spoon will stand up in it.

Whip up the cream and stir in the honey/sugar and oats. If you inadvertently stir in the oats in whilst they are still warm don't worry just whisk the whole lot up together and everything will be fine.

METHOD - Flavouring the Flummery

Start by dividing the mixture into two.

Into one half of the the basic flummery add one tablespoon of marmalade and the same measure of rum and mix well.

Whisk the mixture together until stiff.

You should end up with something that looks thick and textured. I used a dark marmalade,  one I had made with raw cane sugar.

For the other half of the basic flummery, melt the four squares of chocolate in a heat proof bowl or jug in or over a pan of hot water. When melted stir in the coffee and a tablespoon of rum. Add this to the flummery and whisk well,

Making this sweet a day in advance is no problem, in fact flummery in my opinion gets even creamier and tastier if it is allowed to rest overnight. You can then assemble the dessert on the day of the party.

Add a layer of pure marmalade to the bottom of each shot glass and then add alternate layers of cream and the two flavours of flumery. Decorate the top with some more cream and a sprinkle of cocoa and some curls of dark chocolate. I also use home-made chocolate dipped candied peels to finish this dish.

If you are lucky enough to own a jelly or blancmange mould, then feel free to use that, happy in the knowledge that you are recreating a piece of culinary history.

Enjoy!

Hope to see you again for anothr recipe from an old farmhouse in Normandie.

All that needs to be said now is Bon Appėtit!

All the best,
Sue

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©  Sue Cross 2017 
 

Mini Caledonian Cream. Traditional Scottish Gluten-free Dessert Recipe

Caledonian cream has long been associated with Burns' Night suppers and indeed it is a beautifully light finish to what is a substantial meal of soup, haggis, neeps and potatoes. However, it is also, like syllabub, often on wedding breakfast menus and according to a book I have just been reading, a firm favourite of Queen Victoria's Christmas fare at Balmoral. For us it certainly provides some sunshine in a wet Normandie Winter.

As with many Scottish recipes it is difficult to date because it was often a family one and handed-down by word-of-mouth. Even the fact that one of the ingredients, Seville Orange Marmalade didn't become available until 1797 isn't decisive, as presumably that could have been substituted for some other ingredient in an earlier version!

You can of course use shop-bought marmalade for this recipe. It is, however, quite simple just to make up a quick batch from a few citrus fruits and their rinds, if you are outside the (very short) season for bitter oranges. You may just need to use more lemon juice and less sugar to get that fine aigre-doux balance. This is a dessert that suffers, just as marmalade itself does,  if you overdo the sweetness. I will put a link to my marmalade recipe at the bottom of the page.

Here again, as this is a gluten-free recipe, I'm using rum instead of whisky. As previously discussed, the latter can contain added malt. I've even made this dessert with a fruit syrup/liqueur and that was good too!

INGREDIENTS

(makes 18 - 20 dependent on the size of shot glass)

300ml or ½ a pint of raw crème fraîche épaisse*, whipping or thick cream

2 tablespoons of rum

2 tablespoons of Seville marmalade

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon of rapadura or raw cane sugar

For decorating - extra marmalade and (optional) dark chocolate.

*This is cream which has been left to stand and cool after full cream milk, such as A2 raw Normandy, has been run through a separator. I know this because some years  ago I got up at, what was to me, the crack of dawn to go and film the process at our local organic farm. I'll link the article below for those interested.

METHOD

If you are using a thin crème fraîche then you will need to whip this up prior to incorporating the rest of the ingredients. You can over-beat cream so I usually beat it until it forms something that looks like the leaves of a book. However, for the last five years I have been able to get my cream directly from the separator - raw and organic and so thick a spoon will stand up in it.

The sugar and marmalade are now incorporated by folding them into the cream with a large spoon.

Add the spirit and lemon juice and mix well.

Whisk the mixture together until thick.

I do not sieve or break down the raw sugar, as we love the grainy texture and delicious toffee flavour these 'flecks' of sugar add to the cream.

You should end up with something that looks thick and textured.

Add a layer of pure marmalade to the bottom of each shot glass and decorate the top with some more marmalade and some curls of dark chocolate. I also use home-made candy peels to decorate this dish.

Enjoy!

All that needs to be said now is Bon Appėtit!

Hope to see you here again for another recipe from my 100 Gluten-Free Organic Party Foods Challenge!

All the best,
Sue

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Cranachan Cream Crowdie With Rum - Traditional Scottish Recipe with a Hint of the Caribbean - Gluten-Free

Cranachan from the Gaelic crannachan meaning churn and crowdie from Lowland Scots, meaning porridge-like, is a celebration sweet eaten at Harvest Home. It showcases the good things of the land, reflecting some of Scotland's finest produce: oats, raspberries, honey, cream and of course whisky! However, for this gluten-free* recipe I'm using rum. This is not so heretical as you might think. The doyenne of Scottish cookery and celebrated Orcadian folklorist, F. Marian McNeill is reported to have used it in her 1929 version of Cranachan. It is also mentioned as an alternative in the recipe book my mother sent me from Scotland.

* Gluten-free Alcohol

The distillation process removes any gluten protein from the alcohol. However, from reading around the subject it seems that people with gluten intolerance have specific individual reactions to grain-based spirits. Furthermore, some companies add malt etc., to give flavour to the spirit. If you are gluten-intolerant you should also check on additives and/or ingredients used in ready-made drinks combinations, such as punches and cocktails.

A Foreword on Guten-free Oats

Oats do not contain gluten, however it is best not to buy them, if you are gluten intolerant, unless they are labelled as certified gluten-free. In countries where oats are not a traditional crop, fields can be contaminated by stray plants when other cereal crops are grown in close proximity. Here in France, for example, where there were no dedicated oat-growing areas, we used to find it impossible to buy certified organic gluten-free oats. However due to the ever increasing popularity of gluten-free foods and international cuisine, we are now seeing certified oats on the shelves. It is also worth noting that post harvest, certified gluten-free oats are processed in dedicated mills where they can not be contaminated with other grains. This is why people often get confused about why all oats are not labelled as suitable for those allergic to gluten.

INGREDIENTS

(makes 16 to 20 depending on size of shot glasses)

300 ml (10 floz) of cream (I use raw straight form the churn or rather cream separator)

75g (3oz) toasted rolled, pinhead or steel cut gluten-free oats (here I've used rolled)
1 tablespoon of raw honey
1 tablespoon of rum

A couple of handfuls of raspberries
You can also use blackberries or a mix of both.

METHOD

In a frying pan and with quite a high heat, toast the oats until they smell nutty (a few minutes) move them around the pan so they get an even toasting. Leave to cool.

Whip up the cream and stir in the honey, oats and rum. I inadvertently stirred my oats in whilst they were still warm but I just whisked the whole lot up together and everything was fine!

If the raspberries are over-ripe like the ones I have here, then cook them up into a purée with a little sugar, otherwise they may run completely into the cream crowdie and spoil the 'look'!

Add layers of the cream mixture and raspberries to a tot glass aka shot glass finishing with a layer of cranachan and decorating with a berry fruit and/or a scented geranium, campanula rapunculus, borage or similar edible flower (optional).

Enjoy!

All that needs to be said now is Bon Appėtit!

Hope to see you here again for another recipe from an old farmhouse in Normandie,

All the best, Sue

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Caledonian Cream - A delicious Scottish dessert made with - you guessed it - organic whisky

Caledonian cream has been long associated with Burns' Night suppers and indeed it is a beautifully light finish to what is a substantial meal of soup, haggis, neeps and potatoes. However, it is also, like syllabub, often on wedding breakfast menus and according to a book I have just been reading, a firm favourite of Queen Victoria's Christmas fare at Balmoral. For us it certainly provides some sunshine in a wet Normandie Winter.

This is one of these recipes that is difficult to date because it was often a family one and handed-down by word-of-mouth. Even the fact that one of the elements didn't become available until 1797 isn't decisive, as presumably even that could have been substituted for some other ingredient in an earlier version!

Caledonian cream is easier to make if you have already have this aforementioned ingredient, which is Seville marmalade, tucked away in your cupboards. It is, however, quite simple just to make up a quick batch from a few citrus fruits and their rinds if you are outside the (very short) season for bitter oranges. You may just need to use more lemon juice and less sugar to get that fine aigre-doux balance. This is a dessert that suffers, just as marmalade itself does,  if you overdo the sweetness. I will put a link to my marmalade recipe at the bottom of the page.

This dessert is a real celebration of Scottish ingredients as it contains two of its  famous 'inventions' and exports marmalade and whisky. 

Ingredients

300ml or ½ a pint of raw crème fraîche épaisse*, whipping or thick cream

2 tablespoons of malt whisky (you can also use brandy and we have made it with Calvados aka Normandie apple brandy)

2 tablespoons of Seville marmalade

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon of rapadura or raw cane sugar

This will make four servings.

*This is cream which has been left to stand and cool after full cream milk, such as A2 raw Normandy, has been run through a separator. I know this because some few weeks ago I got up at, what was to me, the crack of dawn to go and film the process. More of this in a later article.

Method

If you are using a thin crème fraîche then you will need to whip this up prior to incorporating the rest of the ingredient. You can over-beat cream so I usually beat it until it forms something that looks like the leaves of a book. However, for the last two years I have been able to get my cream directly from the cow - raw and organic and so thick a spoon will stand up in it.

 


Add the sugar and marmalade to the cream and incorporate by folding into cream with a large spoon







Add the spirit and lemon juice and mix well.



Whisk the mixture together until thick.


You can then spoon into glasses and leave to chill or you can do as I did and use the mixture to assemble our 'Caledonian Sundae'.

I added a layer of pure marmalade to the bottom of the glass and then decorated the top with some home-made chocolate dipped orange peels. A touch more marmalade and some curls of dark chocolate.

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it and to comment and/or ask questions.

Thanks for dropping by and 'til the next time for another recipe from an old farm-house in Normandie, all the best,

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