July 1, 2014

Chranachan

Posted by HI Cookery under 07 July | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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Chranachan

Chranachan

July: National Berry Month

July is National Berry Month—an appropriate time to have raspberries in a recipe from Highlander’s heritage—chranachan. Similar to an English trifle because of the layered look, chranachan is a summery Scottish dessert that uses raspberries. Other ingredients include heather honey, Scotch whisky, oats and whipped cream. Serve up something simple and sweet to beat the summer heat—cool off with a cup of chranachan!

Recipe

(Adapted from BBC Food Recipes)

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup oats (preferably steel cut/pinhead)
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1-2 tablespoons Scotch whisky
  • 3 tablespoons honey (heather or organic)
  • 2 cups fresh raspberries

Directions

In a small pan, toast the oats by mixing over medium-high heat, being careful not to burn them. Set aside and cool. In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks.

Chranachan

Fold in the whisky, honey, toasted oats and raspberries. Scoop into dessert glasses. Garnish with extra toasted oats and a few raspberries (optional). Serve chilled.

Chranachan

Notes

  • Chranachan is derived from Scottish Gaelic: Crannachan.
  • Traditionally, chranachan ingredients (whipped cream mixed with whisky and honey, toasted oats and fresh raspberries) are placed in individual dishes and laid out on the table buffet style so diners can layer their own dessert into their dishes according to their tastes.
  • Any good quality “runny honey” (not crystalized) may be used for this recipe.
  • Toasted oats add texture while raspberries add tartness to this dish.
  • Variations of this recipe include soaking the toasted oats in whisky overnight then mixing it into the whipped cream and pureeing or mashing the raspberries instead of adding the whole fruit.
  • Islander especially loves iced chranachan made with lactose-free vanilla ice cream as a substitute for the whipped cream.
 

October 16, 2011

Chambord Macarons

Posted by HI Cookery under 10 October | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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Chambord Macarons

(Raspberry Liqueur Macarons

with Raspberry Jam Filling)

Chambord Macarons

October 16: National Liqueur Day

“Pinkarons” for October’s MacTweets

Our Chambord macarons are a treat

Filled with raspberry jam so sweet

Pink and pretty enough to eat

Pray that breast cancer can be beat!!!

Chambord Macarons

A look into our liqueur cabinet might give the impression that we are lushes. But we bake with booze more often than we drink it—honest!  We have an assortment of alcohol on our shelves, but it is the raspberry liqueur in a little ball-shaped bottle that was our most pricey purchase. So we use the spirit sparingly—and splurge only to make special occasion foods. Packaged in a pretty orb, Chambord is the luxurious ingredient that we use to bake into brownies, cakes and now macarons.  It is worth using raspberry liqueur in a recipe for “pinkarons” to observe both Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Liqueur Day.

Chambord Macarons

Recipe

For the Chambord (raspberry liqueur) macaron shells (Italian meringue method)

  • 1 cup almond flour/meal
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 egg whites (fresh, unpasteurized and aged overnight at room temperature)
  • 1 cup sugar, granulated white
  • ½ cup water
  • red or pink food coloring
  • 1 tablespoon Chambord (raspberry liqueur)

Directions

Sift the almond flour/meal with the powdered sugar. Grind in a food processor in batches to remove any lumps (optional). Whip the egg whites until peaks form. Make a simple syrup to stabilize the egg whites by boiling the sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer (or until it reaches a soft ball stage). Pour into the egg whites and whip again until stiff and glossy.

Chambord Macarons

Mix in the Chambord (raspberry liqueur). Fold in the almond flour/meal-sugar mix until the consistency “flows like magma.” Tint the macaronage with red or pink food coloring until a desired shade of “light raspberry pink” color is reached. Pipe one-inch discs on a parchment paper on top of an insulated baking sheet.

Chambord Macarons

Let the discs air dry to develop a thin skin for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes. Watch the “feet” develop, but be careful not to brown or burn the macarons. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the macarons from the parchment paper. Sort by size and match pairs.

Chambord Macarons

Spread raspberry jam as a filling (we used Smucker’s brand seedless red raspberry jam). Serve immediately as the jam softens the shells.

Chambord Macarons

Notes

 

August 1, 2011

Chilled Raspberry Cream Pie

Posted by HI Cookery under 08 August | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Chilled Raspberry Cream Pie

Chilled Raspberry Cream Pie 

August 1: National Raspberry Cream Pie Day

Summer berries are in season, so Islander takes advantage of decorating her desserts with fresh fruit. She especially likes the vibrance of red raspberries and their tart taste to balance the overall sweetness of a chilled raspberry cream pie. But the pie itself looks too plain and pink, so Islander always adds a ring of raspberries around the rim to finish off the edges of the crust and naturally reinforce the flavors of the filling. Decorating a chilled raspberry cream pie can transform this summer sweet from simple to stunning. This cool and easy dessert is sure to become a showstopping centerpiece when gathering at the table with a few friends and family and when celebrating National Raspberry Cream Pie Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray)

Ingredients

  • 1 9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled (we used Keebler brand chocolate flavor “Ready Crust”)
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 10-ounce package frozen raspberries
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • fresh raspberries to garnish
  • chocolate syrup (optional)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, whip the cream with the almond extract until stiff peaks form. Set aside. In a medium pot over the stovetop, combine the water, gelatin and sugar. Simmer over medium heat and mix until dissolved.

Chilled Raspberry Cream Pie

Remove from the heat and add the frozen raspberries. Stir in the lemon juice until the mixture is thickened. Fold in 1 -1 ½ cup almond-flavored whipped cream. Spread into the pie crust.

Chilled Raspberry Cream Pie

Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight until firm. Fill a pastry bag with the remaining almond-flavored whipped cream. Use a star tip to pipe over the pink pie filling. Finish off the edges of the crust by decorating the rim of the pie with fresh raspberries. Chill until ready to serve.

Chilled Raspberry Cream Pie

Slice the pie. Drizzle a dessert plate with chocolate syrup. Place a piece of the pie on top of the chocolate syrup and serve cold.

Chilled Raspberry Cream Pie

Notes

  • A shortbread or graham cracker pie crust may be substituted for the chocolate pie crust.
  • We only use ¾ of the raspberry filling with the almond-flavored whipped cream.
  • Search our blog for other posts with raspberries as an ingredient in recipes.
 

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