Grumpy Bear’s cookery corner

Atholl Brose

John Porteous John.Porteous@aspen-waite.co.uk

A traditional Scottish cream liqueur, generally served as a before-dinner aperitif. This should be made five days before your party. Beware! It slips down very easily, so you may not realise its potency. It does not keep indefinitely, but I have a feeling that may not be a problem!

Ingredients

3 Heaped dessert spoons Quaker oats (not the instant kind) 8oz Cream 8oz Whisky 3 Dessert spoons sherry 2 Dessert spoons liquid honey

Method

1

2 Soak the oats in water to cover overnight. In the morning strain through muslin into a large jug. This liquid is called brae.

To the brae, add the cream and stir. Add the whisky and stir. Add the sherry and stir. Add the honey and stir thoroughly to ensure the honey doesn’t sink to the bottom. 3 Bottle the mixture and keep in the fridge until an hour or so before your guests are expected. Take it out, let it thaw a little, stir well and pour into a bowl, ready to ladle out (stirring again) into sherry glasses.

4 Enjoy the party!

Smoked salmon with asian dressing

John Porteous John.Porteous@aspen-waite.co.uk

The perfect starter for a celebratory dinner, just the thing to kick-start the tastebuds. It’s also lovely to have as a light evening supper.

Ingredients

400g Smoked salmon 2 Large (just-ripe) avacados; peeled, stoned and diced 1 Cucumber; peeled, deseeded and diced 1 Handful of coriander leaves

Method For the dressing:

2 tbsp Caster sugar 1 red chilli; deseeded and finely chopped Zest of 2 limes 4 tbsps Lime juice 1 tbsp Sesame oil 2 tbsps Light soy sauce

1 Mix the ingredients for the dressing. You can keep it in the fridge overnight, just be aware that the flavours will get hotter as the chilli sits in the liquid.

2 Arrange the salmon on plates ready to serve.

3 Mix the avocado, cucumber and coriander together and then pile on top of the salmon. Spoon some dressing over the top and serve.

Port wine jelly

John Porteous John.Porteous@aspen-waite.co.uk

This is a lovely way to finish a dinner and is one of my favourites. This should serve 4 to 6 people, but it is very moreish, so you may want to make two! It is usually served with whipped cream and almond biscuits, but feel free to pair it with other scrummy pudding things. You could also add fruits to your jelly – feel free to experiment.

Ingredients

13g (1/2oz) Powdered gelatine 600ml (1 pint) Good port

1/4 tsp Grated nutmeg

Method

1

2 Soak the gelatine in the lemon juice and 2 tbsp of the port for a few minutes, until swollen and soft. Then stir into half of the remaining port. Pour into moulds and stand in a cool place to set. Add the fruits at this point if you so desire.

Add the sugar, nutmeg & cinnamon and stir constantly over a gentle heat until almost, but not quite, boiling.

3 Strain through a very fine sieve into a bowl and then gently stir in the remaining port. 2 tsp Lemon juice 125g (4oz) Preserving sugar 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder

4

5 Turn out and serve with whipped cream and almond biscuits – or as you like.

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