Scottish Consulate

• 250ml buckfast tonic wine
• 50g unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 140g plain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

• 2-3 litres of sunflower oil for deep frying

• approximately 100g of granulated sugar for coating

Makes about 9 servings of 5 pieces/serving, each piece approx 5-6cm in length.

Sieve the flour, salt, sugar and cinnamon into a bowl.

Put the buckfast and butter into a saucepan and heat. Ensure all the butter is melted and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.

Reduce the heat to minimum, dump the flour/salt/sugar/cinnamon into the buckfast/butter and stir. Stop stirring when the mixture forms a homogenous lump and starts to come away from the saucepan when stirred. If using electric beaters use the dough hook attachments. For more information search the internet for how to make a Choux dough.

Turn the heat off and allow the dough to cool to about 60°C before adding the egg and vanilla essence and stirring until the mixture is homogenous again. A sturdy silicone spatula such as a Vogue Spoonula is recommended.

Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a star shaped nozzle. If using disposable piping bags then it is recommended that the bags be doubled up to prevent bursting.

Heat the sunflower oil to 180°C in a saucepan or pot. The saucepan or pot should be at least twice as large as the volume of oil used, e.g. for 2 litres of oil use a pot that can hold at least 4 litres.

Pipe the dough into the hot oil with one hand while cutting the dough into pieces of approximately 5-6cm in length using a knife or scissors held in the other hand. The dough will need to be fried in multiple batches. To ensure even cooking only fry as many pieces as you can pipe in approximately twenty seconds.

Cook each batch for two minutes, turning after one minute.

Remove from the oil and drain using a metal sieve or paper towel.

Place the cooked pieces of dough into a bowl, sprinkle liberally with granulated sugar and toss to coat evenly.

Plate the cooked pieces of dough in groups of five (or to taste) and douse thoroughly with Irn Bru sauce. Serve immediately.

• 2L regular Irn Bru
• 250g granulated sugar

Makes about 300ml. Takes a few hours with minimal supervision.

Use a small saucepan (~15cm diameter) to ensure that the thermometer remains properly submerged as the sauce reduces.

Fill the saucepan about half full with Irn Bru and add all the sugar. Begin to heat on the stove and stir until all the sugar is dissolved.

Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Add more Irn Bru every 20-30 minutes to keep the saucepan half full.

Begin to monitor the temperature of the solution when all the Irn Bru has been added to the saucepan. Suggest using a temperature probe or sugar thermometer, an IR thermometer will usually read low because of steam.

Begin to stir the solution regularly when the temperature passes 105°C. Reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer, avoid a rolling boil. Turn the heat off when the temperature reaches 112°C and allow your fresh batch of Irn Bru sauce to cool.

Keep in an airtight container to prevent crystallisation.