Cock-a-Leekie Risotto and Raspberry Cupcakes

This week’s book is one that I’ve owned since 2006 when it came out in hardback. A Cook’s Tour of Scotland by Sue Lawrence. Sue is a first rate cookery writer, with both knowledge and enthusiasm for her subject. I have been to a cookery demonstration of hers too up at Baxters of Speyside, and she was very good. She has a couple of baking books, which I’m looking at covering in the future as well, and she is a superb baker!

I’ve cooked a few things from this book including Anta Bars (chocolate coconut bars), Orkney Fudge Cheesecake (a divine toffee cheesecake), Meg’s Shortbread which was a really delicious shortbread, and the following two dishes. Cock-a-leekie Risotto with Bacon and White Chocolate, Almond and Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Icing.

The savoury one here is an Italian / Scottish mix. The Italian part is obvious with the risotto, the Scottish part being the Cock-a-Leekie, the more usual dish being a cock-a-leekie soup – a clear chicken soup with chicken pieces, leeks and prunes floating in the broth.

A normal white wine and chicken stock risotto made in a pan where you have first cooked 200g chopped unsmoked back bacon and 2 diced skinless, boneless chicken breasts, remove the meat, and make a risotto with 2 leeks in place of the usual onion.

At the end add back in the still warm bacon and chicken along with 10 chopped prunes, Parmesan cheese and a good handful of chopped parsley. I do like fruit with meat, and this was completely up my street! In fact everyone I served it to liked it a lot, not quite the norm, but with bags of flavour in every bite.

Now, onto the sweet. Sue’s recipe in the book is suggested to make one 7 inch cake, or 8 cupcakes. I took the cupcake route. It’s an almondy raspberry and white chocolate cake with a raspberry icing made by pureeing raspberries and mixing in icing sugar. They are every bit as good as they sound! In the picture of these in the book I think Sue must have used brambles as the icing colour was somewhere between amethyst and claret, very pretty anyhow. Mine are more pink.

White Chocolate, Almond and Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Icing
From A Cook’s Tour Of Scotland by Sue Lawrence
Makes 8
100g good quality white chocolate, keep back a few squares for drizzling at the end
150g butter, softened
150g caster sugar, preferably golden
2 large eggs
100g self-raising flour
a pink of salt
50g ground almonds
200g raspberries, divided into 2 x 100g lots
200g icing sugar (preferably golden) sifted
(1)Preheat the oven to 180oC/ 350oF / Gas Mark 4. Line your muffin tin with 8 cupcakes.

(2) Melt the main part of the chocolate, in a bowl over hot water, leaving the few squares aside for the drizzle later. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add in the eggs one by one, beating well in between each one. Fold in the flour, salt and almonds, then when combined add in the melted chocolate. Spoon into the prepared muffin cases. Take one of the 100g lots of raspberries and poke these into the cake mixture, smooth the batter over a bit if you like. Bake for about 45 minutes, loosely covering with foil for the last 10 mins or so if you think they need it, a tester should come out clean after this time. Cool on a wire rack.
(3) To make the icing puree and sieve the remaining 100g raspberries, then beat in the sieved icing sugar. Spread the icing over the cakes. Melt the remaining white chocolate and drizzle over the tops of the cupcakes.