Cloutie Dumpling A Traditional Scottish Recipe

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The "Cloutie Dumpling" (pronounced clooty) is a traditional Scottish steamed pudding with fruit and spices. Although it is a dessert on the day it is made, while it is still warm, the following days it is normally cut into flat slices and gently fried in a little butter and eaten with fried egg and bacon for breakfast. It's traditionally made for Christmas and birthdays and used to contain an old silver threepenny or sixpenny coin, magic how it always appeared to be in the slice of whoever's birthday it was! The name "Cloutie" refers to the cloth it is wrapped and cooked in.

Cloutie Dumpling Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 lb (500g) Self Raising Flour

8 oz (250g) suet

4 oz (125g) oatmeal

1 drum (25g) mixed spice

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon salt

12 oz (375g) dried fruit (mixture of sultanas, currents,raisins)

2 large tablespoons black treacle

1 egg

1 teacup milk (a little more may be needed)

Method:

Mix all the dry ingredients together, add the treacle, beat the egg along with the cup of milk and add to the mixture.

Mix well until a firm consistency is reached (the mixture should hold together but not wet), may need to add some more milk.

Place the clout (cloth) in boiling water for a few minutes then remove and squeeze well, flour (well) the inside of the clout, this is to achieve a waterproof skin. Place the mixture in the clout and tie the top allowing for expansion.

Place a plate in the bottom of a large pot and put the dumpling on the plate, fill with boiling water (about a quarter way up the dumpling) and put a lid on the pot.

Simmer for 4 hours, checking occasionally that there is enough water, don't let the pot dry out.

Remove the dumpling from the pot, remove the clout and place the dumpling on a large plate. Dry it for an hour in front of the fire, if you don't have a fire a low setting in the oven for half to one hour will do.

Serve on it's own or with custard or cream.

The left overs are traditionally cut in a flat slice and gently fried in butter for 3 or 4 minutes and eaten with a fried egg and bacon for breakfast.

A nice twist is to soak the fruit overnight in some Scotch Whisky.

A cooked dumpling can last several weeks, just cover with a tea towel and don't worry about it going dry or hard, frying revives it well.