Traditional Recipe
6oz/115g butter
12oz/350g/3 cups flour
4 oz/100g/1cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 lb/450g/1 1/2 cups sultanas
8 oz/225g/ 3/4 cup currants
1 tbsp treacle (molasses)
1 tbsp syrup
2 eggs (beaten)
milk to mix
Rub butter into the dry ingredients/ Make a well and add the syrup, treacle, beaten egg and enough milk to make a stiff mix. Prepare the pudding cloth by dipping it into boiling water and then dusting it generously with flour.
Put the mix on the cloth and tie well with string, allowing a large enough pocket for the pudding to expand. Boil for 3 hours.
Recipe taken from Scotland Gifts
Modern Take
Cloutie Dumpling Parfait
Cloutie Dumpling:
6 oz (1½ cups) self raising flour (All-purpose flour with baking powder)
6 oz (1½ cups) brown breadcrumbs
6 oz (185g) suet
4 oz (½ cup) currants
6 oz (½ cup) sultanas
6 oz (½ cup) raisins
1 tsp baking soda
4 oz soft dark brown sugar
2 tbsp syrup
1 cup milk
dash of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon
Iced Parfait
4 egg yolks
Half pint double cream (whipping cream)
2 oz caster sugar (or fine granulated sugar)
Few drops vanilla essence
1 tbsp Macallan single malt
6 oz (185g) white chocolate
Cloutie Dumpling :
Mix all dry ingredients and blend with the milk and syrup. Boil a cotton tea towel in a large pot, remove, flour it well and place the dumpling mixture in the centre and tie with string - leave some space inside for expansion. Place the dumpling in pot of simmering water and poach for 2 and a half hours.
Iced Parfait:
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl until sugar has dissolved. Bring the cream to a gentle simmer in a thick bottomed pan. Pour cream over the egg and sugar mixture, whisking gently as you pour. Return the mixture to a clean pan and cook slowly, stirring until the custard coats the back of the spoon.
Remove from the heat. Blend the white chocolate until dissolved. Blend in the Macallan single malt and chill mixture for 30 minutes.
Line a terrine dish or loaf tin with cling film. Chop the Clootie Dumpling into rough, large pieces and fold into the parfait mixture. Pour the mixture into a terrine dish, cover with cling film and freeze overnight.
Recipe from A Taste of Scotland
What is it?
Cloutie Dumpling is usually had for Christmas and New Years and is usually served with custard or cream. The name cloutie come from the Scottish slang of "clout" for cloth which is an integral part of the cooking process.
For those of you who know of the English Plum Pudding, Cloutie Dumpling is essentially the Scottish version.
The Modern Take on the right, is from the Creel Inn and Restaurant in Orkney