Scottish Sweets & Savory

I've never dedicated an entire post to desserts and snacks. It's about time, doncha think?

Tiffin Cake

Sally first had this when we were visiting Tracey's Mum near Findochty, Scotland. It took some sleuthing to discover that the delectable squares were called Tiffin or Tiffin Cake, or sometimes Refrigerator Cake due to its un-baked preparation.

1-1/2 sticks Butter
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4-1/3 cup Golden Syrup*
2+ Tbsp Raisins
10 oz package of Rich Tea tm, plain or digestive biscuits**
12 oz bag Milk or Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Some recipes call for coca powder to make these chocolate-y.  IMHO this is one time when chocolate is not necessarily a good thing...

Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a large pan. Err on the side of excess -- a bit more butter, syrup and sugar will not go amiss here! Add the raisins and bring to the low boil. Allow to bubble gently for a couple minutes to thicken a little.

Crush the biscuits (in a plastic bag to cut down the mess),with a rolling pin. Don't leave pieces bigger than a dime, or the final product will tend to break up when cut. The finer crush the better.  Mix the crumbs well into the melted mixture, coating thoroughly.

Press the mixture into a lined 8x10 shallow “lasagna pan” and level out, pushing down the mixture well.

Melt the chocolate carefully (avoid boiling), a microwave works well here, and spread over the top.

Refrigerate for at least a couple hours, then cut into pieces with a sharp knife.

* Can't find Golden Syrup? Use the American equivalent – pure cane syrup (Steen's tm is a widely available brand)

** You could try this with any sort of un-frosted vanilla-flavored American cookies...

Although it's called "refrigerator cake", let it come to room temperature before eating it, otherwise the cold will deaden the flavor.

Aberdeen Butteries

Oh so good toasted, with butter and jam. Or use two to make the ultimate Bacon Butty. We first had these in Findochty, Scotland, on the Northeast coast. Ian would disappear in the early morning, visit a local shop, and come back with pre-packaged butteries, or rowies as they are sometimes called, for our breakfast. The recipe is strictly regional to northeast Scotland – ask for these elsewhere in Scotland or England and you'll get a blank stare...

Not a simple recipe, as it has multiple raises and foldings and rollings, and takes some time. But they are well worth the work a couple times of the year. Cooked, cooled rowies can be bagged in ziptops and frozen, to be eaten another day. This recipe makes about 16 cakes. The measures have been translated from Scottish for you!

1 cup or 2 Sticks plus 2 Tbsp Butter
1/2cup Lard
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 lb AP Flour – yes you should weigh this...

1 Tbsp Salt
2 tsp Dried Yeast
2 cups warm Water (may not need all of this)
Pinch of salt 

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt until well combined.  
2. Make a well in the center of the mixture, and gradually add the water in a thin stream, stirring well, until the mixture just comes together as a dough. You may not need all of the water.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
4. Transfer the kneaded dough to a clean, greased bowl and cover with a greased sheet of cling film. Set aside in a warm place to rise for at least one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, cream together the butter and lard until well combined. Divide the mixture into four equal portions.
6. When the dough has proved, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a further 1-2 minutes.
7. Roll out the dough into a 16” x 8”rectangle, about 1/2” thick.
8. Turn the dough so that the short edge is facing you. Spread one portion of the butter and lard mixture over the bottom two-thirds of the dough rectangle.
9. Fold the remaining one-third of the dough rectangle onto the butter and lard mixture to cover the center section of the dough rectangle. Fold the other end of the dough rectangle over the folded dough, so that the dough ends up three times its original thickness. Roll the dough out again to a 16” x 8” x 1/2” rectangle.
10. Repeat the process of spreading and folding with another portion of the butter and lard mixture, until all of the mixture has been used up and the dough has been rolled out a total of four times.
11. Preheat the oven to 400F.
12. Cut the rolled out dough into 16 pieces and roll each into a round, flat shape.
13. Transfer the disks to a lightly oiled baking tray and raise again for 40-45 minutes.
    
14. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until they are golden-brown and cooked through. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

As you can see, mine didn't turn out too good – tasty, but flat. They should be at least twice s thick.  They were nicely risen when I put them in the oven, but went flat as they baked! It wasn't a problem with the yeast, as I had two good rises. I've never had that happen before! Must try again, until I get it right, as the originals were soooo good!

Treacle Flapjacks

Flapjacks, in the UK, are not those thin, round, sweet skillet breads that you get in America at places like IHOP. Over there, a Flapjack is a simple, decadent dessert bar made from butter, brown sugar, rolled oats, and (usually) Golden Syrup, a sort of thick version of our local Florida Cane Syrup.

This recipe uses black treacle (similar to molasses but much thicker). Fans of the Harry Potter books and the hilarious Discworld novels by Sir Terry Pratchett, will be very familiar with treacle in tarts, sandwiches and the mine under the city of Ankh-Morpork.

Treacle and Golden Syrup can be found in some mega-marts or other stores which have a lot of international foods. Our local Publix carries Golden Syrup, or can get it for you from a store which does.  I inherited a can of Black Treacle from my foodie friend Sara Peterson.

I suspect you could also make these from cane syrup or molasses, but the first cooking stage would need to be longer to thicken things up more. A bit of corn starch may help too.

1-1/2 sticks Butter

3/4 cup packed Light Brown Sugar

1/3 cup Black Treacle

3-3/4 cups Rolled Oats

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line a 6x10 or 8x8 baking dish, with baking paper or a liberal dose of non-stick spray. Do not use tinfoil as I did, it will be almost impossible to remove!! A silicon dish would be perfect for this application! This stuff is the definition of “sticky”!!

Put the butter, sugar and treacle in a sauce pan on medium-low heat and stir, just until things start to bubble and the sugar is melted.

Pour the mixture into the oats and stir together until the oats are well covered. Dump into the baking dish, spread it out, and flatten with a spatula.

Bake for 30 minutes, cool for 5 minutes. Score with a knife into bars, and let cool completely in the pan.