Many of us had hoped to be traveling again by now, but omicron had other plans for us. While I am dreaming of once again getting on a plane and going somewhere, my ever-increasing collection of cookware with snowflake patterns provided the perfect excuse to write about actual past travels in Scotland. I promise, this shortbread pan was on a very good sale after the holidays, and I simply could not resist.
Admit it, when you think Scottish food, do you think haggis? And what is your reaction if you do think haggis? When traveling in Scotland a few years ago, I thought it was imperative that I try haggis at least once. The four of us who were traveling together ordered one serving at a small inn/tavern, where the food was generally excellent – the Village Inn in Arrochar, on the banks of Loch Long. The haggis was good, in fact, it was sufficiently good that we ate the full serving between us. Now, I will admit that we smothered it in the very good gravy served with it, and some people have told me that I was cheating by doing that, but what do I know? Also, if you find yourself in Arrochar, the beef and double Gloucester pie at the Village Inn is amazing.
We consistently had great food during our travels in Scotland. One stand-out in Edinburgh was the Devil’s Advocate in Advocate’s Close. I do not really have adequate words to describe Edinburgh – the multiple levels of the city, the archways to long stone stairways, the imposing castle keeping watch over all.
Speaking of castles, there are castles in various states of repair, or lack thereof, absolutely everywhere.
Scotland also does not lack for atmosphere, particularly if you like the misty and moody. We were there in June when the sun rises very early. This was the view from a room in Stirling at 4:00 a.m. one June day.
We also got to experience the misty and moody while walking in the highlands.
Misty, moody, and fanciful certainly works when you consider that Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn. Seriously. https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/the-unicorn-scotlands-national-animal
Although, the unicorn seems quite the choice when they could have chosen the fabulous Highland Cattle, who could almost be fantasy creatures themselves.
Moving along to the recipe, this was my first time using the new shortbread pan, and I clearly did not press down firmly enough to get the full benefit of the pattern. I would also probably cook it just a tiny bit less next time, to not have it quite so browned. The recipe was Martha’ Stewart’s classic shortbread, but I added the zest of one lemon and 1/2 tsp orange extract to the creamed butter and sugar to give it a bit of a citrus burst. https://www.marthastewart.com/1142421/classic-shortbread
