Cranachan is a Scottish dessert which was originally served at harvest festivals. In its simplest form, it is made up of lightly toasted coarse-cut oatmeal and cream with honey as a sweetener.

Other flavourings such as whisky may be added and fresh soft fruits, raspberries in particular, are frequently incorporated into the mixture. Quite often, these are simply layered up in a glass for a dessert but I have used them to make a parfait.

The name "Parfait"meaning "perfect" in French, relates to the rich and creamy texture of the frozen dessert.

The beauty of the parfait is that it does not have to be churned and the mixture can be poured into a mould before freezing.

ICED CRANACHAN PARFAIT

Ingredients (serves 4) 60g oats 1 tbsp Demerara sugar 4 egg yolks 110g caster sugar 2 tbsp honey 284ml whipping cream 2 tbsp whisky (optional) 300g fresh or frozen raspberries

Method

1 Line a 2lb (1kg) loaf tin (or individual moulds) with a double layer of cling-film.

2 Toast the oatmeal in a dry pan until it is dry. Add the Demerara sugar and stir until the sugar is beginning to caramelise.Remove from the heat and leave on one side.

3 Place the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl. Using an electric hand-whisk, whisk until the mixture thickens and is pale in colour. (If you wish to cook out the egg yolks at this stage, do this over a pan of simmering water until the mixture is warm, then allow to cool - do not allow the bowl to become too warm, or the mixture will curdle). Combine the honey into this mixture.

4 Place the cream in a large bowl and whisk until it is quite thick (but not too stiff). Combine the whisky into the cream.

5 Now stir the oats into the egg yolk mixture and then fold in the cream.

6 Layer up the cream/oat mixture with the raspberries in the loaf tin - there should be enough for three layers of cream/oat mixture and two layers of raspberries - if you are using frozen raspberries, you do not need to defrost them.

7 Cover the surface with cling-film and then freeze for at least six hours (ideally overnight). Note that it does not become completely solid because of the whisky.

To serve

Place the parfait into the fridge approximately 15 minutes before serving to allow it to soften very slightly. I turned the parfait out onto a board and then cut it into thick slices using a warmed knife. I then cut the slices diagonally into triangles and arranged them onto the plates.

Garnish with fresh raspberries and a sprig of mint (if available) and a drizzle of honey. Serve immediately.

Notes

You could alternatively make a raspberry sauce by combining together raspberries and sugar and then passing through a fine sieve. This could be "rippled" through