Clootie Dumpling - My Mom's childhood memory
Ingredients
- 1 cloot Dish cloth boiled in hot water
- A deep pot of boiling water
- A side plate fitted in base of pot
- 230 g self-raising flour plus extra for dusting
- 100 g grated butter or suet
- 100 g brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- dash grated whole nutmeg ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- Zest of one orange
- Zest of half a lemon
- 230 g cake fruit mix
- 200 mL buttermilk room temperature
- 4 x R2 and coins boiled and soaked in lemon juice my Granny Nan wrapped them in baking paper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to the boil and dip the dish towel in the water remove it and ring it out and place it in a jug to hold its shape - dust with flour. Keep the water boiling and place a side plate on the bottom so that the dumpling doesn't stick.1 cloot, A deep pot of boiling water, A side plate
- In a bowl add the flour and butter, sugar, spices, and bicarbonate of soda230 g self-raising flour plus extra for dusting, 100 g grated butter or suet, 100 g brown sugar, 1 teaspoon mixed spice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- Cut the ingredients together with two knives
- Add the fruit and zest and the molasses1 tablespoon molasses, Zest of one orange, Zest of half a lemon, 230 g cake fruit mix
- Stir to ensure an even distribution of fruit throughout the flour
- Add the buttermilk and stir to a thick batter. Drop half the batter into the prepared dish cloth.200 mL buttermilk room temperature
- Add the R2 coins north, south, east and west in the batter. This is not traditional, but it was a memory of mine baked into Christmas pudding4 x R2 and coins boiled and soaked in lemon juice
- Spoon in the rest of the batter
- Draw up the dish towel leaving some room for the dumpling to expand whilst steaming. Tie with string
- Lower the dumpling cloot into the hot water. Place the lid on to keep the dumpling immersed in the water
- Weight the lid down with something heavy. I used my mortar and pestle - use a can of baked beans
- Gently simmer for 3 hours. Check the level of water every hour and top up as necessary. Preheat the oven just before the end of cooking time to 180°C.
- Remove dumpling from pot of water and drain well. Gently unwrap the dumpling, place on a baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10 -15 minutes to dry out the dumpling and create its characteristic "skin". The colour will change and look much better than it does when you first remove the cloth.
- Serve warm with whipped Drambuie butter, custard or cream. Whisky is the traditional hard sauce used in the butter.Can also be fried in slices and served with bacon and eggs a traditional Scottish Breakfast Treat. Putting pennies in is not traditional, I was combining traditional Christmas pudding with clootie dumpling from my childhood memories
Notes
This is not a pretty pudding when it comes out of the cloot. It was boiled and then placed near an open fire to dry it out and form is characteristic "skin". It was rural and frugal and predated our modern ovens of today. It has a deep cultural significance in Scotland and some recipes often included oatmeal or breadcrumbs.