Delight & reunite

ABOVE: Classic empire biscuits, a popular bakery treat in Scotland

Words by SARAH STACKHOUSE

Our US-based writer prepares some of the dishes that remind her ‘mom’ of their Scottish heritage, just in time for the festive season

The aroma was a mixture of sweet and savoury as I bustled around my grandmother’s kitchen creating the menu items I was sure would be appreciated.

I was in the midst of cooking a themed feast – a festive birthday surprise for my mom, which had been inspired by an event five years previously that had made my mom beam.

That crisp September day, in a Balmoral bakery, we gazed admiringly at a case filled with splendidly yummy pastries, but there was one that caught our eyes particularly.

The white icing hugged the biscuit in such a delicate way. Another layer of biscuit was below, with a thin smattering of jam marrying the two layers together. Lastly, there was a colourful little jelly perfectly balanced on top – without it, this dessert would be incomplete.

It was perfection; a pleasant blend of sweet and delectable. As soon as my mom saw it, her face lit up in pure elation in a way I’ll never forget. She told me that she hadn’t seen these biscuits since she was a young girl. As a child she shared them with her grandmother, who was originally from Scotland. I will never forget how happy she looked in that bakery, as we asked them kindly for two biscuits.

We took a stroll down the lane and found a quaint park to sit in. Surrounded by the rustling trees, it was there that I tried my first empire

biscuit and mom relived the flavours that she remembered from her childhood. It is amazing how a two-inch, round pastry could connect us to a time from faraway and remind us of the simple moments of happiness that exist in this world.

As I sat at my grandmother’s kitchen table now, trying to convert recipes from metric into US measurements, I wondered what I had got myself into.

But I knew it would be worth it: I envisioned how relishing the flavours would pave the way for reminiscing and telling stories of our travels to a country that we were so dearly missing. Our time together in Scotland could only be described as full of adventure, laughter, and true mother-daughter bonding, immersed in the culture of our ancestors.

When creating the menu, I chose a combination of dishes we had tried while in Scotland, as well as foods we had yet to savour. By including dishes that we had already tasted, it would turn us into storytellers around the dinner table. Putting our two minds together to recall, we could share the finest of details of the wheres, whens, and whys of our Scottish adventures.

Meanwhile, adding dishes we hadn’t yet been able to try gave us the opportunity to discover the history, ingredients, and meaning behind other traditional Scottish food. One of the best ways to explore a country is to eat your way through it.

The menu I had settled on included the following: rumbledethumps, vegetable tattie soup, mac and cheese pies, empire biscuits, tablet and millionaire’s shortbread.

When I was researching Scottish dishes, it brought back many fond memories of items we had tried, seen on menus, smelt in restaurants, and even travelled many miles to taste. I knew I had to include rumbledethumps as the name was too much fun not to. Mom had always loved soup and was vegetarian, so I thought the tattie soup would complement the mac and cheese pies well.

Food has the power to connect people and turn them into authors

THIS PAGE: Sarah creams the butter and sugar, the first step in the empire biscuit recipe, in her grandmother’s kitchen

MAKE YOUR OWN EMPIRE BISCUITS

BISCUITS

2 sticks (225g) butter (softened) 2½ cups (350g) plain flour ½ cup (115g) of granulated sugar One egg, beaten

ICING

Confectioner’s sugar Water

FILLING

Raspberry jam (homemade is even more delicious)

TOPPING

Gum drops or fresh raspberries

METHOD

BISCUITS 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180°C). 2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 3. Stir the beaten egg into that mixture. 4. Gradually mix in the flour, forming a soft dough (I prefer to mix by hand versus using a machine). 5. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface – pat and flip a few times, binding the dough together. 6. Roll out dough to about ¼ inch thickness. 7. Use a two-inch fluted cookie cutter to cut dough. 8. Place cut out dough circles about an inch apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. 9. Bake in 350-degree oven for 12-15 minutes until edges are slightly browned – do not overbake! 10. Remove from oven and leave for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely, ICING & TOPPING 1. Once biscuits are cooled, spread about a teaspoon of jam on a biscuit and place another biscuit on top of the jam – repeat until you run out of biscuits. 2. Mix desired amount of confectioner’s sugar with a few drops of water to make thick, non-runny frosting (make according to your personal taste). 3. Spread frosting on top of cookies. 4. Place the gum drop, raspberry or desired sweet in the centre of the frosted cookie. Enjoy! This recipe was adapted by Sarah from somethingsweetsomethingsavoury.com

I envisioned how relishing the flavours would pave the way for reminiscing, allowing us to tell stories of our travels to a country we were so dearly missing

When it came to selecting the desserts, there was no question that I had to include empire biscuits, made specially with our homemade raspberry jam from fresh berries we had picked only a few weeks earlier.

Apart from that, my favourite dish to make was the millionaire’s shortbread. Perfecting the caramel layer and watching the gloopy goodness layer on top of the shortbread (before adding the chocolate) was quite satisfying. Its richness cannot be matched, and its silky soft crunch melts away with every bite. I may have had a sample or two before it made its way to the dinner table.

Tears fell from my eyes as I rolled dough, mashed potatoes, and opened the oven doors. It was such a powerful experience for me, reliving all the memories from Scotland, realising how fortunate I was to be able to experience such beautiful moments with my mother and grandmother, just as my mom had with hers.

Thinking back to the story she had told me that day in Balmoral, my Scottish connections run much further back than when I studied there for my bachelor’s degree, or the trips mom and I enjoyed together, but rather they go back many generations, with our ancestors no doubt sharing food, culture, stories, and memories.

I know you are probably wondering how the dinner turned out. What fun would it be if I didn’t save that for last? The rumbledethumps were a crowd favourite, as was the millionaire’s shortbread. However, the jelly on top of the icing was seeing mom’s smile exactly as it was five years ago in that bakery in Balmoral.

Witnessing her genuine happiness will forever bring a smile to my face and tears to my eyes. Food has the power to connect people and turn them into authors, as tales are passed down through generations.

Even if just for a few hours over a meal, we can empower our hearts and taste buds to travel wherever the aromas take us. The ambience enabled people to recall stories, be present in the moment, and make future plans.

If there ever is a time to travel the world without ever leaving home, look no further than your spatulas and bowls, and the world awaits you. A world that is in your hands to create, conversations that are yet to be had, and delicious treasures that your await your taste buds. S

LEFT TO RIGHT:

Sarah cuts, ices and decorates her homemade empire biscuits; Sarah’s mom seizes the chance to have an empire biscuit at a bakery in Balmoral on that visit five years previously