Burns Supper |
Oatcake RecipesDavid M. and Susie M. Arnold
Our Club takes the Easy way out regarding Oatcakes, one of the traditional
elements of a Burns Supper, by purchasing Walker's Oatcakes.
The oatcakes are served as an appetizer with fish (salmon, herring) and
cheese, and should be savory rather than sweet. There are many different
recipes for oatcakes with regional variations. Here are three to try:
A style popular around Edinburgh. We have kitchen-tested this recipe and it produces a crisp, neutral, oat-flavored biscuit that is similar to Walker's (which for some reason have become scarce in our local grocer's.) Ingredients
Procedure Place dry ingredients in a bowl. Blend in butter. Add enough water (approx. 1/4 C) to make a stiff dough. Roll out on a floured board and cut into rounds (2 1/2" dia) bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. Makes about a baker's dozen. Note: This recipe works very well in a food processor:
This recipe calls for oats only and are quite brittle. Ingredients
Procedure Put dry ingredients in a bowl. Melt fat in 3T boiling water, add to mixture to make a stiff dough. Roll 1/8" thick and cut into rounds. Bake at 350 degrees. For a more traditional approach, roll dough into a single round and cut into farls (quarters) and bake slowly on a girdle (griddle). Serve warm. Makes 4-6 oatcakes.
This recipe is from the Hebrides and is thicker and heavier than the others. The name is Gaelic for "cakes with butter". Ingredients
Procedure Place oatmeal in bowl and add salt and butter. Make well center of the mixture and add egg and milk. Mix to a stiff dough. Roll out 1/4" thick into a large round and bake 5 minutes on each side on a hot gridle. (Or, roll, cut into rounds and bake at 375 degrees in an oven.)
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