Burns Night

Tonight is the night to honour Scotland's favourite son. Certainly the night to curl up in front of a roaring fire and read poetry. If you're planning on doing the full Burn's Night Supper you might want to click here.

This is probably the time to confess I'm not doing anything until tomorrow night. If you're going to imbibe whisky it's better not to have to get up too early the next day. I've finally decided against making cranachan as my contribution. I'm going to make a version of Tipsy Laird Trifle. I think! You were not at all helpful, by the way.

This one is the creation of TV chef James Martin.
Ingredients
6 tbsp whisky
1 orange, juice and zest
5 trifle sponges
450g/1lb raspberries
110g/4oz white chocolate, grated
1 carton good quality fresh custard
400ml/13fl oz double cream
1 tub mascarpone cheese
55g/2oz toasted flaked almonds

Method1. Mix the whisky and the orange juice and pour in a shallow bowl. Slice the trifle sponges in half horizontally. Dunk each piece in the whisky and place them in the bottom of the trifle bowl.
2. Scatter the raspberries over the top, then the chocolate.
3. Top with the custard.
4. Whip the double cream until half whipped, combine with the cheese and spoon over the trifle. Scatter the toasted almonds over the top just before serving.


Sounds nice, doesn't it, and not too time consuming to make because I really need to concentrate on my book. Despite having committed the unforgiveable sin of delivering it late, at the moment it's still heading for a December 07 slot which means I get to make it Christmas. I'm threading decorations through as we speak.

I may even succumb to snow. The practical side of my brain is whispering that it rarely snows in December in this part of the world. (End of January is more usual.) But, this is life turning out the way we want it and I always hope for a white Christmas.

It's about ten minutes until the school run - which is why I'm allowed to blog. (I put that in for my poor editor.) When I get home again I'm going to be very bad and settle my brood down in front of a DVD and hide away and write.

I'm feeling more bouyant now than I have in weeks. I've just heard my mum has made it through her operation okay. Next step will be to discover how much of the cancer they've been able to cut away. But that's for another day. Right now, I'm going to enjoy where we've got to.