Recipes: Burns’ Night

Haggis, Bashit Neeps an’ Chappit Tatties. Serves 8

Ingredients

450g (1lb) Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized pieces

3 tablespoons warm milk

40g (1 oz) unsalted butter

Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

500g haggis, cooked

400g turnip, cooked, seasoned and mashed with a knob of butter

For the gravy

Pint of beef stock

Splash of red wine

Knob of butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place the potatoes into a pan of salted cold water and bring to boil. As soon as the water comes to the boil, reduce to a simmer (it’s important not to cook the potatoes too quickly), and cook for approximately 20 minutes. Check the tenderness, the point of a sharp knife should feel little resistance when pushed into the potato. Drain in a colander and return to the pan to dry out over low heat for a few minutes.

Mash them with a potato masher or pass them through a mouli or ricer into a bowl. Using a wooden spoon beat in the warm milk, then the butter, vigorously, making the mash light and fluffy (if you are going to re-heat them, don’t add the butter yet).

To make the gravy, reduce the beef stock and red wine to thicken. Stir in the butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for a further few minutes to thicken further.

To serve, use a serving spoon to shape a spoonful of the haggis, neeps and tatties on the plate and spoon around some of the gravy.

Alternatively, take the presentation up a level and use a ring mould to create a tri-colour tower. Spoon in a layer of the mashed potatoes into a ring mould and press down firmly. Top with a layer of mashed turnip and again compress. Finally, top with a layer of haggis, taking care to get an even top layer. Gently remove the ring mould and spoon around the gravy and serve.

Hot whisky and marmalade pudding with Drambuie custard. Serves 6-8

Ingredients

150g fine brown breadcrumbs

25g self-raising wholemeal flour

120g light brown soft sugar

120g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the bowl

175g well-flavoured, coarse-cut marmalade

30ml whisky

3 large eggs

1 rounded tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the custard

150ml full fat milk

150ml double cream

1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out and reserved

3 egg yolks

30g caster sugar

30ml Drambuie

Method

Butter a three-pint pudding basin and choose a saucepan large enough to hold the pudding basin comfortably. We use three-pint plastic basins that have a matching lid, perfect for this recipe.

Place the breadcrumbs, flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter and marmalade together in a saucepan over a gentle heat, but do not boil. Pour the melted ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together thoroughly.

Lightly whisk the eggs until frothy and beat gently into the mixture until well blended. Last of all, dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 1tbsp of cold water. Beat this into the pudding mixture, which will increase in volume as it absorbs the bicarbonate of soda – leave to stand for five minutes for the bicarb to work. Cover it with a double Place the pudding basin in a saucepan of boiling water. The water should reach halfway up the side of the basin. Simmer the pudding steadily for two hours. The water will need topping up throughout the cooking period. Meanwhile, make the custard.

Place the milk, cream and vanilla pod and seeds into a thick-bottomed pan and place on a high heat until boiling. In a stainless steel bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together with a balloon whisk until the mixture becomes thick, fluffy and pale.

Add the hot mix to the eggs. When stirring, make sure that you cover the whole pan by stirring in a figure of eight rather than round and round.

The mixture should begin to thicken within about two minutes. You’re looking for a temperature of 82C. When the mix has thickened enough to coat the back of the spatula, take off the heat and strain immediately through a fine sieve to remove any small lumps which may have formed. Serve immediately, or pour into a clean bowl, cover with cling film (touching the surface to avoid a skin forming) and chill in an ice bath.

Uncover the pudding and turn it out onto a warm serving dish. Serve hot with the warm custard.