Last weekend Nate and I escaped to the Western Highlands of Scotland. We took a quick flight from London to Glasgow and then drove just a few miles to Loch Lomond. Because its so far north it stayed light till past eleven and by five it was bright again. Calm, peaceful, and full of fresh air, we sat by the lake and our bodies started recovering from the stress and pollution of our city lives. We got up early next morning and started the day with some scottish porridge (they like it a bit salty, rather than sweet!) and potato scones. The "major" roadway was this tiny two lane, that often became a single lane and was lined with a dense forest of trees and these purple flowers. All the glens, lochs, and shires, covered in a low mist made my imagination go wild - I imagined all sorts of creatures, witches, dragons, and mystics lurking about.
We headed even further north to Fort William where we took a short detour to Ben Nevis and discovered these amazing highland cows. Nate and I hopped a fence and walked as close as we dared.
Highland cows are quite rugged with gobbs of shaggy burnt orange hair. Its an absolute necessity for them as they live in a cold climate with lots of rain. In order to make our ferry for the Isle of Skye we had to race off. We had just enough time to get some real shortbread before the boat left in little cafe - it was amazingly moist, crumbly and salty.
After a rainy ferry ride we drove to the town of Portree, with a quick whisky stop along the way. Nate chose Talisker, the local whiskey. I'm nowhere near a whiskey aficionado, but I could tell the older the whiskeys were, the better they tasted. We enjoyed the Talisker with some local kippers, or oak-smoked herring. When we arrived in Portree we had a really great dinner that started with mutton terrine, which sounded a bit questionable but was absolutely divine. Hot grilled scallops served over cool asparagus soup and broiled local sea bass followed. No room for dessert this night.
The following morning we headed to Kilt Rock - we got soaked in the process from some pretty heavy rains, but it was a must to see.
By the afternoon the weather did a complete turn around and we went for a long walk. We saw this fishing vessel dump little salmon smolts into these fish farms where they are fattened up.
Farmed salmon are often born in salmon nurseries and grown to the stage where they are ready for their first migration (smolted). This is just off the coast of Portree. Scotland provides 80% of the United Kingdom's aquaculture production. Scotland is the number one producer of farmed salmon in the EU and third in the world behind Chile and Norway. With growing problems in Chile's salmon fisheries, Scotland may become a bigger player, especially as an exporter to the United States.
Rather than go through every meal I'll just say that we tried every local Scottish thing possible. We had salty porridge, kippers, haddock (in the form of fish and chips!), Scotch Broth (think Stone Soup), langoustine (a.k.a Norway lobster or scampi), Cullen Skink (smoked haddock soup with potatoes, onions, and cream), scottish beef burger, salmon, and shortbread. But, I've had all these in some form away from Scotland. There was, however, one thing that was new to me. It was simple and Scottish. Cranachan.
What is it? A simple dessert of whipped cream, smushed raspberries, toasted oats, sweetened with a little scottish honey and spiked with a little Scotch. It was served to us with some Scottish shortbread alongside. I had to recreate it once we came back to London. I know by now I should call it home, but I feel like I'm betraying something in my heart if I do.
CRANACHAN
Per serving you need: 1/4 cup heavy cream - whipped, 7 or so fresh raspberries, 1 Tbs toasted oats (in a pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds and cooled), 1 tsp runny honey, and a splash of Scotch (optional).
Measure cream to how many servings you need. Whip the cream and then add the raspberries. Whisk them in so they break apart and turn the cream pink. Add the toasted oats, honey and Scotch. Serve with shortbread (recipe follows).
SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD
4 oz unsalted butter, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c sugar, will need more for sprinkling
1 c (scant) flour
1/4 tsp sea salt, will need more for sprinkling
METHOD
Cream butter, vanilla, and sugar for about one minute. Add flour + salt and mix in with a wooden spoon. When the dough forms into one, put onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the shortbread dough for at least one minute. Add a bit more flour, but only if the dough is really sticky. Pat into a quarter-inch high disk and cut out with a biscuit cutter in the size of your choosing. Arrange on a sheet pan and sprinkle with sugar and sea salt. Bake at 350F / 180C until the edges turn slightly golden, the time depends on the size of your shortbread. Mine took about 10 minutes.
