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Fruit cake gets a seasonal flavour with whisky |
You can have your cake and eat it!
Try a rich alternative this Christmas by adding a wee dram of
whisky to a fruit favourite, says Clare Latimer
UNBELIEVABLY, having just gone to a funeral in Cornwall, I then had to jump straight on a train to Scotland for a cousin’s funeral.
I had not been to Scotland for many years even though I am half Scottish.
My cousin’s family owned the Glenkinchie Distillery many years ago, so where better place to go after the burial in freezing weather to warm the cockles.
It was a fascinating tour and I would recommend it to anyone, as the staff explain the whole process with great enthusiasm: the way barley produces malt when soaked for two days and then dried, and all the ages and stages that are followed to make a decent Scotch whisky.
And at the end of the tour, the glasses come out for a tasting.
Here are some ways to cook with whisky.
Scottish whisky fruit cake
This would make a good alternative to Christmas cake and is best left for a few weeks to mature with a top-up of whisky each week.
Ingredients
175g currants
175g sultanas
110g glacé cherries (rinsed, dried, cut into halves)
75g mixed candied peel (finely chopped)
3tbs whisky
150g softened butter
150g soft brown sugar
3 eggs
225g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Milk (if necessary)
2 level tbsp ground almonds
Grated rind of 1 small orange
Grated rind of 1 small lemon
110g whole blanched almonds.
Method
The night before you are going to make the cake mix the fruit, peel and three tablespoons of whisky together and then cover and leave.
Grease and line an 18cm square/20cm round cake tin with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven 170C / 325F / gas 3.
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs slowly and then fold in sifted flour and baking powder.
The mixture needs to be a soft, dropping consistency, so if too dry, add a tablespoon of milk.
Carefully fold in the soaked fruits etc and the ground almonds.
Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and smooth out. Arrange whole blanched almonds on top.
Place the cake in the centre of the oven for 2-2½ hours.
Check with a skewer to see if the cake is cooked. It should come out clean from the middle.
Leave cake to cool in the tin for 30 minutes and then finish cooling on wire rack.
To feed the cake weekly, make small holes in top and bottom of cake with a skewer and spoon some of the whisky through the holes.
To store the cake, wrap in double greaseproof paper and store in foil or airtight container until needed.
Almond whisky mincemeat
There seems to be a good deal of talk about homemade mincemeat this year, so here is your chance.
Ingredients
Makes about 1kg
125g blanched almonds, finely chopped
125g no-soak dried apricots, finely chopped
50g dried figs, finely chopped
50g stoned dried dates, finely chopped
350g cooking apples,
225g sultanas
150g seedless raisins
175g shredded suet,
¼ teasp ground
cinnamon
Generous pinch fresh grated nutmeg
½ teasp ground allspice
125g dark muscovado sugar
300ml whisky
Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
Grated rind and juice of 1 small lemon.
Method
Peel, core and finely chop apples. Place in non-metallic bowl with dried fruit, suet, sugar and half the whisky. Stir in grated rind and strained juice of oranges and lemon. Leave overnight.
Pre-heat the oven to 120C / 225F / gas ¼. Cover the bowl loosely with foil and place it in the oven for 3 hours. This will infuse the flavours and melt the suet.
Leave to cool stirring occasionally to stop the fat laying on the top.
When the mincemeat is quite cold, stir well again, adding the rest of the whisky and then pack tightly in sterilised jars.
Store in a cool, dry place until Christmas. |
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