Carrageen Pudding with Rhubarb & Rosehip Jelly
Submitted by bohn
Traditional Scottish carrageen pudding set in a ring mould with lemon milk and egg, served with rhubarb compote and a scarlet rosehip or redcurrant sauce.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
15 minREADY
1 hrsCarrageen pudding is one of Scotland’s oldest desserts, made from a seaweed that grows on rocky beaches along the mid-tide line. The dried fronds dissolve into warm milk, releasing a natural gelling agent that sets the pudding without gelatine or cornstarch. The result is something silky and delicate, with a faint sea-mineral taste that’s more intriguing than fishy.
Milk simmered with a strip of lemon zest and a touch of sugar gets thickened with the carrageen, then cooled to blood temperature before a whisked egg is stirred in for richness. Strained into a wetted ring mould, it sets in the fridge in just half an hour.
The presentation is where this really shines. The unmoulded ring gets filled with tart rhubarb compote in the center and surrounded by a scarlet pool of rosehip or redcurrant jelly melted in hot water. Pink, white, and red on the plate.
Kitchen Tips
- Dried carrageen is available at health food shops or Chinese supermarkets (sold as agar-agar in processed form). Fresh requires about double the quantity
- The milk is thick enough when it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Don’t overcook or the texture turns rubbery
- Cool the mixture to body temperature before adding the egg. Too hot and the egg scrambles
- Wet the ring mould with cold water before pouring. This creates a thin film that helps the pudding release cleanly
Variations
- Use stewed gooseberries instead of rhubarb for a more traditional Scottish pairing
- Replace the redcurrant jelly sauce with a berry coulis for a modern take
- Add a splash of whisky to the warm milk for an adult version with Scottish character
Ingredients
Directions
*Note: Carrageen is a purple-brown or green fronded seaweed common on Scottish beaches on the mid-tide line. It can be used to set and delicately flavour a jelly or thicken a soup. If you gather your own fresh, you will need about 2 oz to set a pint of milk. Dried carrageen is available in health-food stores, or Chinese supermarkets in processed form, as agar-agar.
Bring the milk to the boil with the lemon rind. Stir in the carrageen and cook for a couple of minutes until the milk thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Add sugar. Allow the mixture to cool until it is at blood temperature (100 F, 40 C).
Whisk the egg until frothy and then whisk in the warm milk until smooth.
Pour the mixture through a sieve into a cold-wetted ring-mould.
Then put it in the fridge to set - it will only take about ½ hour.
Run hot water over the outside of the mould and turn out the jelly.
Fill the middle of the ring with a ladleful of rhubarb compote and surround with a little scarlet sauce of rosehip or redcurrant jelly melted in a little hot water.
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