Scottish Oat Cakes

Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F.

In a medium to large mixing bowl, whisk together sugars with melted butter.

Add sea salt, baking soda and flour to sugar mixture and mix until evenly combined.

Add 2 cups of dried rolled oats and toss together until everything is evenly coated in the flour mixture.

Slowly stir in boiling water to dried oat mixture a little at a time until a dough forms.  You might need more or less hot water depending on the type of oats you use and how they soak up the water, so proceed with caution and go slowly.  You want enough water for the dough to come together and keep its shape.  It should be soft and slightly sticky to the touch (like normal cookie dough).

Spread dough out into a thin layer onto greaseproof paper.  If you are feeling creative, you can bust out the cookie cutters and cut the oak cakes into different shapes.

Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Raspberry sauce

In a medium-size saucepan, combine frozen raspberries, water, sugar and lime juice together.

Place on stove and cook on high heat until you reach a boil.

Reduce heat to medium or low (whichever produces a consistent low simmer) and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the desired consistency (sauce should have the consistency of a raspberry jam).

Creme Anglaise (aka Custard)

In a medium saucepan, whisk together whole milk, whipping cream and vanilla.  Cook over medium heat until you’ve reached a simmer.  Make sure to watch it carefully and give it a stir every now and again to prevent scorching on the bottom. DO NOT BRING TO A ROLLING BOIL!

Meanwhile, while the cream mixture is warming up, whisk together egg yolks with sugar in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

When the cream mixture has produced a slight simmer (you don’t want it too hot otherwise you risk curdling the egg yolks), turn off the heat.

Add 2-3 large spoonfuls of the cream mixture and add it to the egg yolk mixture.  Whisk together until smooth then add an additional 2-3 large spoonfuls of cream to the egg yolk mixture.  Whisk until smooth.

Slowly pour the egg yolk mixture into the cream mixture and whisk together until smooth.  If it is lumpy, the cream mixture is too hot and you have to start over again.  If the cream mixture is too runny, cook on low for 2-5 minutes until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Strain if needed, pour the custard into a large bowl or jug and let cool in the refrigerator.  The sauce will thicken as it gets cold.

Cranachan Assembly

Crumble up oatcakes and put an ounce or two into a bowl, glass or parfait dish. If you are adding whisky to it, add a dash to the oatcake crumble to soak up.  A little goes a long way, so I recommend starting off with 1 tbsp of whisky but if you like more, go for it.

When the oat cake crumbles has soaked up the booze, add 1-2 spoonfuls of raspberry sauce on top, followed by the custard on top of that (should be around 1/3 cup).  Leave it be or top it off with a spoonful of raspberry sauce on top.

Cover with plastic wrap and let cool in the refrigerator for an hour or two.  The longer it sits, the more the whisky is infused into the dessert, so keep that in mind.