Granny Chisholm's Clootie Dumpling

There are some things, usually food related I find, that can transport you back to childhood in an instant. It might be the smell of your mum's chicken casserole, the memory of licking the spoon after a marathon cake-baking session, or the sight of a stack of pancakes for Sunday breakfast. For me, it is Clootie Dumpling. My granny was a wonderful, traditional Scottish cook - mince and tatties, tablet, raspberry jam were all staples - but her greatest recipe, and the one she is most fondly remembered for, was good old clootie dumpling. My family (particularly my uncle) still celebrates birthdays with a clootie instead of the more modern sponge confections, and New Year dinners wouldn't be the same without one.

It seems incredible that I had never attempted to make a clootie dumpling myself, considering how important the recipe has been in my life. Since my granny passed away, the clootie mantle has been passed to my aunt, who lovingly prepares a sumptuous, bulging clootie for my uncle's birthday each year. But recently I've been thinking it's time for me to have a go, to keep the clootie dumpling alive in my generation instead of allowing it to become a relic of the past. Yes it's traditional, yes it's old-fashioned, but I think that's to be celebrated rather than ignored.

So here it is, my granny's clootie dumpling, kept alive into the Noughties.

Serves a big hungry family.

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded suet (vegetarian suet is available)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup sultanas
1 cup currants
1 cup milk
1 grated carrot OR 1 grated apple
1 large teaspoon cinnamon
1 large teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
2. Flour a large sheet of greaseproof paper and place the clootie mix upon it. Place in a large cloth and then double wrap inside another teatowel/muslin (or old pillowcase!) Secure firmly with string. The clootie should be taking shape now - it should look a bit like a curling stone.
3. Place on an upturned plate in a large heavy pan with about 5cm water and steam on a low heat for 4-5 hours, topping up the water when it gets too low.
4. Remove the clootie from the pan, carefully unwrap it and place on a baking tray in a medium overn (160 C / gas mark 3) for 15 minutes. This will allow the clootie to dry out and form its traditional 'skin'.
5. Remove from the oven, cut into generous slices and serve with either custard, cream or just a sprinkling of caster sugar. Or, for a more modern twist, try serving with a dollop of creme fraiche.

Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffins

I made these for my friend Pete's 30th birthday the other day, and took them in a neatly packed bag to the pub where a crowd was gathered to celebrate. Very appreciative he was too - for a few minutes - but once the others got wind of the contents of the bag they were promptly devoured in about five minutes flat. I hope Pete managed to keep at least one for himself! Who can blame the others, though: these are quite probably one of the best things I've ever baked. (Well, it just so happened that a couple of the muffins broke as I was removing them from the tin, and it would have been a shame to waste them...)


Makes 12-14 large muffins for very appreciative friends

Ingredients:
450g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
225g golden caster sugar (preferably Fair Trade)
1 large egg
1.5 tsp vanilla extraxt
330ml milk
75g butter, melted
about 150g raspberries (frozen ones will keep their shape better)
about 150g white chocolate, chopped into chunks

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200 C/ gas mark 6
2. Sift flour and baking powder into large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar.
3. Crack the egg into a separate bowl, and whisk in the milk, vanilla and melted butter.
4. Stir the liquid into the flour mixture, mix well.
5. Carefully fold in the raspberries and chocolate, stirring as little as possible to avoid damaging the berries.
6. Spoon mixture into muffin tray (using muffin cases if you like) and bake for 30 minutes until firm and golden. Allow to cool slightly then remove from tin and indulge.

Best eaten warm - not that they'll last long once friends find out about them.

A Spanish-inspired Feast

The Monkey and I spent New Year in Barcelona this year, visiting friends, aimlessly wandering the backstreets, drinking in art, cava and, of course, eating a vast array of foods - tapas, pintxos, the freshest of seafood, and rustic feasts to soak up the excess booze. A particular highlight was strolling through the tightly packed alleys of La Boqueria, Barcelona's most famous food market. Pigs' heads, live lobsters, long strings of russet-coloured sausages, mounds of alluring cheeses - all the best of Spanish produce is on display here, and if we had more room in our suitcase (and, realistically, if the Euro hadn't been quite so strong) we would have bought an awful lot more. In the end we contented ourselves with a few circuits of the market before settling in for a couple of cervezas at a nearby tapas bar.

It was a glorious few days - somehow relaxing and adventurous at the same time, thanks in no small part to our great friends who welcomed us, introduced us to their friends and, perhaps most importantly, showed us some of their secret food spots. We came home laden with goodies purchased at La Boqueria and elsewhere, and decided to have a little fiesta at home in honour of my brother's 30th birthday, and to remind us of a wonderful holiday.


A SPANISH FEAST FOR 8

Frutos secos - roasted almonds, roasted salted broad beans
Jamon 'pata negra' (from black-footed pigs) - served just as it is
Pan con Tomate - DIY style
Gambas a la Plancha - grilled shell-on prawns in garlic
Pintxos of boquerones (anchovies) on rustic bread with tapenade
Tortilla - just plain, with potatoes, onion and garlic
Chorizo, roasted and garnished with chopped parsley
Patatas bravas with spicy mayo
Green salad with avocado
Cheese - Tetilla from Galicia, Manchego from Catalunya
A couple of bottles of good cava and some rough Spanish red wine

From Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares to Hippo's Birthday Dreams

I'd been itching to visit Abstract for a while, jealous of the fact that my husband, who we'll call The Monkey, had been without me ('for work') some years ago now. But wish hard enough and good things happen - and sure enough, this fantastically quirky restaurant was the chosen venue for my birthday dinner this year. With its mirrored columns, black snakeskin-effect tables and bold prints on the wall, the decor could be garish in other rooms but here they somehow get away with it. It's fun. The service is charming, high class without being stiff and obsequious. The 25-page wine list is a hefty tome, but some helpful sommelier's suggestions at the front make selecting a 2007 Pouilly Fume child's play. And the food? Simply delicious. I think the menu speaks for itself, so I'll just copy it here and let your imagination do the rest ...

canapes of gravalax on mini pastry puff and tuna sushi with a tiny hint of wasabi
*
amuse bouche of instense artichoke foam with shaved truffle
*
Yellow Fin Tuna Sashimi, Wasabi Ice Cream, Pickled Vegetables, shiso Cress & Cucumber Caviar
*
Wild Sea Bass, Pan Fried Fillet, Crab Cannelloni, Star Anise, Carrot Juice & Emulsion
*
pre-dessert of chocolate & mango tiramisu
*
Artisanal Farmhouse Cheeses with Crackers, Grapes, Celery, Chutney and Tawny Port

That Michelin star is surely on its way soon. What a wonderful birthday treat.

Welcome to the world, Hungriest Hippo!

Well, as my 32nd birthday celebrations wind down, it seems fitting that this day should also see the birth of my foodie blog, something I've been impatient to try for a while now. Since my whole life seems to be dominated by food – in a wholesome, not-at-all worrying way, of course – a blog seems like the most natural progression of a lifelong obsession. Not for nothing, it seems, were Baking and Cooking the only two badges I managed to acquire over two years in the Girl Guides. Years later, as a restaurant reviewer, food-and-drink editor and enthusiastic dinner-party hostess, I spend most of my waking hours thinking about food. And a lot of my sleeping ones too.

And so, even if I'm the only person who ever looks at this, I don't mind. It just seems like a fun idea to have my food creations (well, perhaps only the successful ones) recorded for me to look back on as the months - and hopefully years - slip by. Perhaps I'll throw in some restaurant reviews and photos too. Perhaps I'll meet some like-minded souls along the way. Perhaps I'll get very fat through the whole process – who knows. Let's just hope it's fun.

Bon appetit!