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Pan Puddings
Pan Puddings is a traditional Scottish recipe, based on Mrs Frazer's recipe of 1800, for a classic fried pudding made from an egg, flour, milk and brandy batter with dried fruit and suet which is part way between a pancake and modern Scottish fruit pudding. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Scottish version of: Pan Puddings.
prep time
15 minutes
cook time
20 minutes
Total Time:
35 minutes
Makes:
12
Rating: 
Tags : Spice RecipesDessert RecipesMilk RecipesCake RecipesScottish Recipes
I'm trying to expand my culinary horizons again, this time by focussing on Scottish food. I recently managed to sorce a copy of the late Georgian cookbook,
The Practice of Cookery, Pastry, Confectionary, Pickling and Preserving, with Directions for choosing Provisions, Trussing Poultry, &c. by Mrs Frazer. Edinburgh: Peter Hill 1800.
Original Recipe
Pan Puddings.
Beat up four or five eggs with four ſpoonfuls of flour, and caſt it until it is free of knots. Then put in half a tea-ſpoonful of ſalt, a little cinnamon, nutmeg, half a mutchkin (half a pint) of ſweet milk, a glaſs of brandy, four ounces of currants, the ſame quantity of ſugar, and as much ſuet ſhred ſmall; mix all well together. Then put a piece of butter in a frying-pan, and, when it boils, place as many petty-pans, with looſe bottoms, in the pan as it will hold, with the mouths downmoſt; pour the pudding in at the holes in the bottom, and fry them on a ſlow fire. Whenthepans come off eaſily, it is a ſign the puddings are nearly done. Then turn them up and ſet them on their bottoms, that they may be equally and thoroughly fried.
Modern Redaction
So, what actually is this recipe... at first glance it's a pancake batter, but the inclusion of suet is like no batter I've seen before. In many ways this is a fried equivalent of a clootie dumpling. In fact, I think that this recipe represents an early antecedent of Scottish fruit pudding which is served as part of a traditional Scottish breakfast even today. Note that Scottish fruit puddings can be served for breakfast or as a dessert and the same is true for these Georgian pan puddings.
To cook the pan puddings you need rings that will fit into your frying pan. The modern equivalent of petty pans would be tart tins with loose bases. Just remove the bases and use the sides as rings, setting them upside down. You can also use chefs' rings (mousse rings are good). During the period, grated lump sugar would have been the commonest type and as modern Scottish fruit pudding uses brown sugar I've decided to add that to my recipe.
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
4 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
300ml milk
25ml brandy
120g currants
120g brown sugar
120g shredded beef suet
2 tbsp butter, for frying
Method:
Crack the eggs into a bowl, scatter over the flour then beat with a balloon whisk until the mixture is free of lumps. Add the salt and spices, beating to combine.
Add thee milk and brandy, beating to a smooth batter. Now add in all the remaining ingredients, folding in with a spatula. You will end up with a pourable pancake-type batter.
Place a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Once hot add the butter. As soon as it's melted tilt the pan to distribute evenly.
Set the chef rings or inverted tart tins (without bases) into your pan. You may need to cook in batches as there's quite a lot of batter.
Beat the batter to mix the ingredients then use a ladle with a lip to fill your rings or tart tins to a depth of 2-3 cm. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 3-5 minutes, until you can remove the ring easily without the pan puddings falling apart.
Use a spatula and flip the puddings over, cooking for about 3 minutes more, or until nicely browned. Transfer to a low oven to keep warm as you cook the remaining batter.
