Food
As the "New Orleans" Caledonian Society, food is an inexhaustible subject. Both as Scottish descendants and as residents of New Orleans, much attention is given to culinary considerations. Our gastronomic awareness is exaggerated by these two influences. The merging of these two cultural identities has resulted in advancements of both. One of the few things enjoyed as much as a good meal in this city, is talking about another good dinning experience.
Our Society is rich in members who excell in food preparation. This sub domain
provides our members with a venue for sharing their knowledge of food with you
the visiting viewer and between members. Our site is new and few articles are
posted at this time, so come back often.
Food habits and how they differed
among classes and geographic regions
The influence of terrain and the environment on food habits
A historic view of food processing methods and cooking styles
The evolution of agriculture, horticulture and botany in Scotland
Some of our favorite recipes
Jacobite Cakes
By Laurie McConnell
While perusing my cookbooks I came across a
recipe for Jacobite cake.
When I read through the ingredients
I soon came to understand how this cake got its name.
Here’s the
recipe:
½ cup Cake Flour
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs
¼ cup Drambuie
1/3 cup Walnut or Pecan Pieces Chopped
**Preheat
oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of a 6 in. cake pan with baking parchment
or brown paper. Sift flour and sugar together, sift again. Separate egg yokes
and whites. In a mixing bowl, combine egg yokes and Drambuie, and beat together
until the mixture thickens. Beating continually at slow speed on an electric mixer,
add flour/sugar mixture to egg yokes. Using clean, dry beaters or a wire whisk,
beat egg whites until stiff but not dry, and fold into the dough. Fold in the
chopped nuts. Pour the batter into a prepared cake pan. Bake in the pre-heated
oven 35 - 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
and the top of the cake is golden brown. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then
carefully remove from the pan to cool on a wire rack. Peel the paper off the bottom
and sides of the cake. Store in a cake tin with a tight- fitting lid.
Drambuie is known as Prince Charles Edward’s personal liqueur. He brought
the recipe with him to Scotland in 1745 along with a dream of a Stuart on the
throne once more. It is said that the Prince gave his recipe to McKinnon of Skye
to thank him for his help. The Mckinnon family still makes Drambuie today. The
name comes from the Gaelic “dram buidheach,” which means “the drink
that satisfies.”
Whether many of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s followers
tasted Drambuie, we may not know, but now anyone, Jacobite or Loyalist can enjoy
this cake! It is important to “Cuimhnich an i abhartas Prionnsa” (Remember
the gift of the Prince).
The recipe was found in Fern Cakes, Petticoat
Tails, and Butter Rowies: Scotland’ s Bakery Delights by Vicki B. McLeod,
Unicorn Limited, 1996
‘Typsy
Laird’ makes a special dessert for dinners
by Kathleen Calder
Burns
nights have been part of Scottish culture for over 200 years, since shortly after
the Scottish bard’s death in 1796, when some of his close friends raised
a toast to him after a meal.
One
on-line site (www.rabbie-burns.com) offers a “typical dessert” of “Typsy
Laird” (or sherry trifle) for the Burns meal:
1 Victoria sponge cake,
sliced
¾ lb. raspberry jam
1 wine glass of sherry
2 tablespoons
brandy or Drambuie
¾ lb. of raspberries
2 bananas (optional)
½
pt. of double cream
1 tablespoon caster (powdered) sugar
Home-made
egg custard:
½ pt. milk
1/3 pt. double cream
2 egg yokes
50 grams caster sugar
Few drops of vanilla.
**Place
the sponge cake in the base of a large glass bowl and spread with the raspberry
jam. Mix the sherry and the brandy and sprinkle evenly over the sponge, allowing
it to soak in. Next, add a layer of raspberries and bananas.
**To make
the almond egg custard, whisk together the egg yokes, sugar, and vanilla essence
until pale and creamy. Heat the milk and cream together in a saucepan until boiling
point, then stir into the egg mixture. Once it is well blended, return to the
pan and stir continuously over a low heat until the custard thickens. Pour into
a dish and allow to cool.
**When
quite cool, pour the custard over the layer of fruit, spreading evenly.
**Next
whip the double cream, add sugar to sweeten and spoon on top of custard. **Decorate
with toasted almonds.
(Serves 6-8)
Burns
Dinner
Robert Burns
Supper (Traditional Scottish Recipes)
Stovies
Stovies
is traditionally a left over dish from the Sunday Roast, using the “ tatties,”
meat and dripping leftovers all thrown into one pot. It can be cooked on the hob
or in the oven (gives a nice browned crispy coating). There are various recipes
depending on taste. The amount of stock used varies from recipe to recipe and
really depends on how moist you prefer the dish. Meat used varies from chicken,
beef and lamb. Some people use tinned corned beef. Stovies is best served with
oatcakes. Below is my mum’s stovies recipe cooked. The day after the Sunday
Roast:
left over beef diced up
4 large tatties partially boiled and
sliced
1 thinly sliced onion
1 tablespoon of dripping from the cooked beef
a
wee bit of beef stock
salt and pepper
1. Add a wee bit of lard to a
pot and gently cook the onions until soft. Add the beef (chicken/lamb) can be
used if preferred). Add salt and pepper.
2. Cover with tattie slices and cover
with the stock depending on how moist you prefer the meal. We add a wee bit and
top up as required.
3. Simmer on the hob (range) for about an hour or cook
in the oven at 190c. for about 50 min.
4. Serve piping hot with oatcakes and
skirle.
Skirle
3 tablespoons of butter
or dripping
1 onion finely chopped
6 oz. oatmeal
salt and pepper
1. Melt the butter in a pan and add the onion, frying gently to soften.
2.
Stir in the oatmeal, season and cook gently for 10 minutes.
Clapshot
1 lb. boiled potatoes
1 lb.
boiled swede (rutabaga)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. chopped chives
salt and
pepper
Optional:
Add a pinch of nutmeg
Shallots can be used instead
of chives
Drippings can be used instead of butter
1. Boil the tatties
and swede in separate pans and then drain.
2. Mash the swede and tatties together
adding the butter.
3. Stir in the chives and season with salt and pepper.
4.
Serve with oatcakes.
Rumbledethumps
Rumbledethumps
is a wee bit like bubble and squeak and is delicious on its own or as a tattie
accompaniment:
boiled potatoes
boiled cabbage
butter
spring
onions
salt and pepper
1. Take equal measurements of boiled tatties
and cabbage and mash/mince and mix together adding finely chopped up spring onions
and a wee bit of butter. Add salt and pepper.
2. Brown in the oven if required.
(You can sprinkle with Scottish Cheddar cheese for a lovely topping.)
Aberdeen Butteries
Butteries are named
after their high lard content. They are also known as morning rolls and rowies
and are a traditional Aberdeen roll. The best way to describe their look and taste
is a saltier, flatter, and greasier Croissant. Which doesnae sound nice, but these
are really delicious and filling for breakfast. They may be eaten cold and many
shops, garages, etc. sell them pre-buttered for anyone snatching an on the go
breakfast. I love mine toasted, buttered and with strawberry jam, washed down
with a mug of tea. Chambers bakeries make the best Butteries around. I’ve
never seen them sold outside of Scotland.
½ lb. butter
¼ lb.
lard
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
1 lb. flour
2 teaspoons of dried yeast
2
cups warm water
pinch of salt
1. Make a paste from the yeast, sugar
and a wee bit of the warm water and set aside.
2. Mix the flour and the salt
together. Once the yeast has bubbled up add this and mix well to a dough and leave
to rise.
3. Cream the butter and lard and divide into three portions.
4.
Once the dough has doubled in size give it a good hard knead then roll into a
rectangle about 3/8 inch thick.
5. Then spread one portion of the butter mixture
over two thirds of the dough.
6. Fold the remaining third of the dough over
onto the butter mixture and fold the other bit over - giving three layers. Roll
this back to the original size.
7. Allow to cool for 40 minutes.
8. Repeat
stages 5-7 times more.
9. Cut the dough into16 pieces and shape each to a rough
circle and place on baking trays.
10. Set aside to rise for about 45 minutes
then bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
Recipes rendered by Chef Sean
O’Meara
Research Chef for Chef Paul Prudhomme’s
K-Paul’s
Louisiana Kitchen (New Orleans, La.)