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The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
557 | Calories |
22g | Fat |
83g | Carbs |
9g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 557 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 22g | 28% |
Saturated Fat 12g | 58% |
Cholesterol 77mg | 26% |
Sodium 119mg | 5% |
Total Carbohydrate 83g | 30% |
Dietary Fiber 4g | 14% |
Total Sugars 42g | |
Protein 9g | |
Vitamin C 2mg | 8% |
Calcium 110mg | 8% |
Iron 4mg | 21% |
Potassium 448mg | 10% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
This recipe makes a traditional clootie dumpling that is deeply embedded in Scottish cooking. It is part of the hearth and home approach which makes the food of Scotland so beloved everywhere. The spicy scent of a cooking clootie conjures up images of Scotland's past—a time when grandmothers would spend hours at the stove making this lovely pudding.
The name comes from the cloth called the cloot. Golden syrup is a sweetener that may also be called light treacle and is typically found in British markets. If you can't source it in the U.S., you can substitute corn syrup.
The fruit and spice-laden suet pudding is famed for the role it plays in Scottish celebrations, and no hogmanay or Burn's night supper would be complete without one.
Ingredients
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4 ounces (125 grams) suet
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8 ounces (250 grams) all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon for the cloth
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4 ounces (125 grams) oatmeal
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4 ounces (125 grams) sultanas
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4 ounces (125 grams) dried currants
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3 ounces (75 grams) granulated sugar
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1 teaspoon ground ginger
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1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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2 large eggs, lightly beaten
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1 tablespoon golden syrup
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1/4 cup milk
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1 tablespoon superfine sugar
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Custard or ice cream, for serving
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients. Bring a tea kettle of water to a boil.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
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In a large mixing bowl, rub the suet into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. Add the oatmeal, sultanas, dried currants, sugar, baking powder, ginger, and cinnamon. Stir well.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
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Add the beaten eggs and the golden syrup. Stir thoroughly.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
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Add the milk, a little at a time, to bind the ingredients together to create a firm dough. Be careful not to over mix or make the mixture too sloppy—it should be firm to the touch.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
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Put the clootie cloth into a clean sink, pour a kettle of boiling water over, and once cool enough to touch, ring the cloth out. Place the cloth on your work surface and sprinkle with flour.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
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Place the dumpling mixture into the center of the clootie. Gather up the edges of the cloth and tie up but not too tightly, leave a little room for the dumpling to expand.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
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Place a saucer or tea plate upside down into a large cooking pot. Place the tied clootie onto the saucer and cover with boiling water. Cover with a lid and simmer for 3 hours. Check that the water is not boiling dry from time to time and add water if needed.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
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Once cooked, carefully remove the dumpling from the water. Remove the cloth then sprinkle the dumpling with a little caster sugar. Preheat the oven to 225 F/100 C.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
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Bake for 30 minutes, or until a shiny skin forms. If you wish to be more traditional, then dry the sugar-covered dumpling in front of an open fire.
The Spruce / Cara Cormack
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Slice and serve the clootie dumpling with custard or ice cream. Enjoy!
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
Tips
- For the adults, you can add a little whiskey or Drambuie to the custard or ice cream.
- Refrigerate any leftover clootie dumpling in a covered container. Enjoy within a couple of days for the best quality. You may want to warm the clootie in the microwave briefly to bring out all of the flavors.
What Kind of Fabric Is Used for Clootie Dumplings?
Use a clean linen or woven cotton fabric when steaming clootie dumplings. Many home cooks use an old cotton dish towel as their cloot. If you plan to use a new piece of cloth, make sure to wash it a few times first and don't use brightly colored fabric, since it could transfer onto the dumpling.