Michael Harold and Quinn Peeper have enjoyed throwing lavish gatherings for over thirty years. Nothing makes them want to throw a party much like a theme. From hurricanes to royals, the duo love finding any reason to celebrate. They brought out this crowd-pleasing cranachan recipe in a plaid-clad shindig celebrating the birthday of historical Scottish poet Robert Burns. The traditional dessert is not only super easy to assemble, but thus version requires no cooking!
Easy Cranachan
Makes 6 servings
This is a great dessert. It’s not only easy, but the layers of raspberry and whipped cream are stunning during the holiday season. Guests cannot wait to delve into it after staring at it during dinner.
Tip: Michael and Quinn took the easy way out and used toasted oat cereal in lieu of toasting the oats. They later tried the more laborious version, and it tasted the same to them.
Ingredients
- 2 cups toasted oats cereal, crushed plus extra to garnish
- 2 ½ cups raspberries
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons honey, plus extra to drizzle on top
- 2-3 tablespoons whiskey
Directions
1 | In a separate bowl, crush raspberries with a fork into a semi-puree.
2 | In a mixing bowl, whip the cream with the sugar until it is firm. Stir in the honey, whiskey, and oats to the whipped cream mixture.
3 | Layer the dessert into either a large glass trifle bowl with alternating layers of the whipped cream mixture and the raspberry puree. Top with drizzled honey and a teaspoon of toasted oats. Serve within two hours.
By Michael Harold and Quinn Peeper
Excerpted from Classical Shindig: Amateur Artistry: From the Simple to the Sublime (Susan Schadt Press, 2024).
Buy the book and enjoy more recipes and tons more beautiful, themed celebrations!