Ingredients:

1 cup butter
3/4 cup C and H Powdered Sugar — - unsifted
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Procedure:

Beat butter until soft. Add sugar and almond extract and beat until smooth. Add flour and salt, and mix well. Press dough evenly in 11 x 7 x 2-inch pan. Mark in 1-1/2 inch squares with a fork. Bake in 375-degree F. oven 25 minutes. Cut along markings while hot. Cool in pan.

Ingredients:

8 oz. fine (pinhead) oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
2 tablespoon bacon fat or melted butter
1/4 pint hot water
extra oatmeal for rolling

Procedure:

To test the correct heat of the gridle sprinkle it with a little flour. If the flour browns at once it is too hot; it should take a few seconds to turn colour. Set the oven to 375 degrees F/Gas 5 or heat a gridle or heavy frying-pan. Mix the oatmeal, the bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a bowl. Add the melted fat and the hot water. Stir well until it makes a soft paste. Sprinkle some oatmeal on a board. From the dough into a round and roll it out as thinly as possible, adding oatmeal to the surface as necessary to prevent sticking. Brush off the excess oatmeal. Cut the dough into 4 or 6 pieces. To oven bake; place on a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. To gridle bake; bake on a hot gridle or frying-pan until the edges begin to curl. Turn over and cook the other side. Do not let the oatcakes brown; they should be a pale fawn colour. Put on a wire rack to cool. They are delicious served with cheese.

Curry powder in a traditional Scottish recipe? Yes, apparently it was a Scottish regiment serving in India that married local curry with smoked fish. “Finnan haddies” (smoked haddock from Glen Finnan in Scotland) are the best but most smoked fish is satisfactory.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, hard-cooked- peeled, chopped fine
1 1/2 cup flaked finnan haddie- freshened, boned, skinned,- (or any smoked fish)
3 cup cooked basmati rice -(try brown basmati rice)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
generous grindings of pepper
3 tablespoon lemon juice
lime wedges

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 325 deg. F. Put the eggs, fish and rice in a large mixing bowl; toss together lightly to mix. Put the cream in a small saucepan, add the curry powder and nutmeg, heat, stirring until the spices are blended. Add the cream mixture, pepper, and lemon juice to the rice mixture, and gently toss. Taste for salt and seasoning and adjust if needed (the dish won’t need any salt if the smoked fish is salty). Put the Kedgeree in a casserole and heat in oven only until piping hot. Serve on a platter surrounding softly scrambled eggs, and garnished with lime wedges.

Note: To freshen finnan haddie, soak it in cold milk for an hour, drain then poach it in fresh milk. The milk sweetens the fish and tames its saltiness. Makes 4 servings.