CRANACHAN - SCOTTISH DESSERT

Strolling along the Clyde and finding cheap warm jumpers and cheap everything and the Necropolis covered in snow and flowers and plants and funny currencies and techno clubs and seriously fishy birthdays and the best food you can possibly imagine, and you kind of forget that it’s minus eight degrees and that you could die at any moment slipping on the icy streets and you can’t really understand what anyone says (although you still want to hug them and never let them go), Glasgow you’re pure dead brilliant and I salute you with some very Scottish vegan Cranachan. 
You shall see me again.

CRANACHAN

40g (1/2 cup) porridge oats

1 tablespoon soft brown sugar

125g (1 cup) raspberries

120ml (1/2 cup) soya milk or other non-dairy milk
120ml (1/2 cup) sunflower oil or other flavourless oil

30g (1/4 cup) icing sugar

1/4 tsp xanthan gum (optional)

seeds of ½ vanilla pod

1 tablespoon whisky

1 tablespoon agave syrup

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the oats in a blender/food processor and blitz until roughly ground. Mix with the brown sugar in a bowl and tip onto a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring a couple of times. Set aside to cool.

Blend half of the raspberries to a fine purée and pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any pips if needed, then set aside.

Next make the whipped cream. Place milk, oil, icing sugar and xanthan gum if using in a blender and process until thick. Add vanilla, whisky and agave syrup and keep going until the mixture is nice and frothy.
To assemble spoon some of the toasted oatmeal into two glasses. Top with a layer of raspberry purée and some fresh raspberries then spoon in some whipped cream. Repeat until all of the oatmeal, raspberry purée, raspberries and whipped cream have been used up.