Ecclefechan Scottish Tarts

When I asked my sister if I could bring a Scottish tart to Thanksgiving dinner, she said, "If (your wife) doesn't mind it isn't my place to judge."  So I brought one.

A southern Scotland tradition, these tarts are named for the village of Ecclefechan, a suburb of Lockerbie (much as Christmas is a suburb of Bithlo here in Central Florida).  They consist of a shortbread crust with a filling of sugar, eggs, nuts and dried fruit.  Some better known cousins include pecan pies, Canadian butter tarts, mince pies and shoo-fly pies.

I got the recipe from a friend we visited on vacation, Peg Murray. In addition to Thanksgiving, I've made them for office and church festivities where a number of people have asked for the recipe, so here it is.

Use two 9" tart pans (with removable bottoms) or 9" round cake pans lined with heavy foil.  Only bring the crust partway up the sides.

Preheat oven to 375°

Ingredients
Crust
3 c flour
8 oz butter, softened
6 T sugar
3 egg yolks

Filling
3 eggs
6 oz butter, melted
9 oz light brown sugar
3 T wine vinegar
12 oz mixed dried fruit ( I like to use Welch's Berry Medley - raisins, cherries, cranberries and blueberries -  but suit yourself)
3 oz walnuts

Directions
Crust
With mixer or food processor, whip butter.
Add all other ingredients and mix until it holds together in a ball.
Divide in half
Press into tart pans to form crusts

Filling
Chop fruit and walnuts until small - 1/8"
Mix all ingredients thoroughly
Divide between two crusts
Bake at 375° for 20-30 minutes

Serve at room temperature

Ith gu leòir!  (Bon appetit!)

I Even Ordered the Haggis

Scotland's Saltire
The World's oldest national flag

In Florida, Scottish restaurants are as hard to find as Nessie, unless you include McDonald's and “Duncan” Donuts. As far as I can tell there is one place in the state that claims that designation, MacAllister's in Lakewood Ranch. I recently had a chance to stop by on a visit to Sarasota.

MacAllister's Grill and Tavern has two themes – Scotland and golf. In fact, I would say it's mainly a Golfing theme with a Scottish flavor. The outdoor seating looks nice but since it was raining we dined inside where the décor was tavern style with lots of wood, booths and golf. In our room, the walls held pictures of castles, golf courses and a tribute to Payne Stuart.

On the menu, a flag beside various items indicated Scots inspiration but that was actually a little confusing when the Seafood Pasta was marked as Scottish but the Highland Chicken wasn't. Many items were obvious, though, like Steak Pie, a number of Salmon dishes and Haggis.

Haggis and Tatties

On principle, I started with the Haggis and Tatties appetizer. Like most people, I'm not really fond of what Robert Burns called the “Great chieftan o' the puddin race”, but I actually found this version tasty: a slice of haggis wrapped with mashed potoatoes, deep fried, then topped with onion strings and served with a gorgonzola and whisky sauce.

My entree, the Edinburgh broil, was essentially a London broil given a Scottish name, a nice rosemary sauce, and another helping of tatties.  Pretty good for $10. My wife is a sucker for Chicken Pot Pie and said this was one of her better ones.

The (Scottish) Beer List

There is also a fair selection of Scots beverages, though I skipped them since my next activity for the evening was to be driving to Orlando in the rain.  Next time I will enjoy a bottle or two of Old Engine Oil.

Over all, the food is decent and the prices reasonable. It's a good place to go and pretend to be a Scotsman or a golfer for a little while.

MacAllister's Grill and Tavern
8110 Lakewood Main Street 
Lakewood Ranch, Fl 34202