Scottish Curd Recipes

WORLD'S BEST SCONES! FROM SCOTLAND TO THE SAVOY TO THE U.S.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or rubbing between your fingers until it is in pea sized lumps. Stir in the currants. Mix together 1/2 cup milk and sour cream in a measuring cup. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, and stir gently until well blended. Overworking the dough results in terrible scones!
• With floured hands, pat scone dough into balls 2 to 3 inches across, depending on what size you want. Place onto a greased baking sheet, and flatten lightly. Let the scones barely touch each other. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Let them rest for about 10 minutes.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are golden brown, not deep brown. Break each scone apart, or slice in half. Serve with butter or clotted cream and a selection of jams - or even plain.

PERFECT LEMON CURD

Steps:

• In a 2 quart saucepan, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, eggs, and butter. Cook over medium-low heat until thick enough to hold marks from whisk, and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes.

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Cream butter and sugar with mixer. Add flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Use hands to thoroughly mix.
• Press into a jelly roll pan. Prick to bottom all over with a fork being sure the fork hits the bottom and the pricks are close together.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 and continue to bake for 40 minutes more. Wait 2 minutes then cut into finger size bars. Cool thoroughly in pan.

LEMON CURD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in pecans. Divide dough in half; shape into logs. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, 1-2 hours., Preheat oven to 350°. On a floured surface, roll each portion to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. fluted round cookie cutter. With a floured 1/2-in. round cookie cutter, cut out centers of half the cookies. Place solid and window cookies 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool., For filling, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan. Stir in lemon juice until smooth. Over medium heat, cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks. Return all to pan. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 160° and coats the back of a metal spoon, about 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat; stir in butter and lemon peel. Pour into a bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Chill 2-3 hours (mixture will be thick)., Spread 1 tablespoon filling on bottoms of solid cookies; top with window cookies, pressing down lightly. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate.

SCOTTISH CURD

Steps:

• Grate the coloured rind from the lemons using a fine grater. Melt the butter slowly in a heavy base saucepan and stir in the lemon rind and sugar. Heat gently until the sugar is fuly dissolved.
• Stir one tablespoon of the hot mixture into the eggs; repeat this procedure twice more.
• (This will prevent the eggs from curdling.).
• Pour into the pan and heat gently, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the Drambuie and heat until thick again; Do not boil! Pour into hot sterilized jars and cover.
• This can be stored for up to about a month in a cool, dry dark place, or it refrigerates for up to 2-3 months very well.

SCOTTISH OAT BISCUITS

Steps:

• Combine the oats, flour, baking soda and salt and mix well.
• Add the butter and mix well (a food processor is ideal, but a pastry blender will work).
• Add enough buttermilk to make a stiff dough-- it may take up to 1 1/3 cups-- and mix until moistened.
• Roll the dough 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick and cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter, then place on a greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 450 (the directions just say"hot oven") until firm (or until hard and crisp, per the original directions), about 8 to 12 minutes.