If you’ve had enough of dry January and drab weather, and are in the mood for a celebration after a long month, why not make Burns’ Night your excuse and help out our Scottish friends mark Rabbies birthday?

All you need is a wee dram, a warm home and an inspiring Burns’ supper recipe provided by our friends at Innis & Gunn. Kilts are optional.

The Scottish craft beer maker has come up with a mouth-watering menu for you to follow this weekend, and if the hard stuff is a bit too much for you to take, you can always go for the multi-award winning flagship oak-aged beer – perfect for cooking with.

Let Innis & Gunn’s chef Russell Smith show you how to make this Original Burns’ Supper of Innis & Gunn peppercorn sauce with haggis, neeps and tatties:

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Innis & Gunn Peppercorn Sauce
1 bottle of Innis & Gunn Original (330ml)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon of cracked black peppercorns
1 teaspoon of pickled green peppercorns (optional)
570ml good beef or veal stock
20g butter
100ml double cream

Method
1. In a heavy-based pan, sweat the onion in the butter for 8-10 mins over a medium heat.
2. Add the cracked black pepper and cook for another two minutes.
3. Increase the heat and add the beer, reserving a few glugs for the chef!
4. Reduce by two thirds. Add the cream.
5. Simmer until you have a thick sauce which will coat the back of a spoon.
6. Add the green peppercorns if using.

Venison Haggis Wellington
500g venison fillet, trimmed of all sinew (ask your butcher for fillet or loin.  It should be a long barrel shape)
1x454g haggis
500g puff pastry
2 egg yolks, beaten

Method
1. Heat the oven to 180°C.
2. Remove the haggis from the packaging/casing. Store at room temperature for 45 minutes to soften.
3. Heat a heavy fry pan until smoking hot. Season the meat with salt and pepper and fry in a little oil, for 60-90 seconds on each side.
4. On a floured surface, roll out 1/3 of the pastry to 3-4mm.
5. Gently press a thin layer of haggis onto the pastry. Place the sealed venison on top.
6. Use the rest of the haggis to completely cover the venison. You are looking for a cylinder of haggis with the venison running through the centre. Brush the exposed pastry base with egg yolk.
7. Roll the remaining 2/3 of pastry to the same thickness. Place over the haggis, excluding any air as you go. Crimp with a fork around the edge.
8. Brush the whole wellington with egg yolk. Chill (uncovered) for 15 minutes. Brush the wellington with another layer of egg yolk and sprinkle with sea salt.
9. Lightly score the wellington with the back of a knife. Bake in the oven for around 35-40 minutes.
10. The wellington should be golden and well risen. Rest for 5-10 minutes before carving.

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Whisky Beer Cake with Salted Caramel
We serve slices of the sponge warm, with the salted caramel, a dark chocolate cremeux, roasted hazelnuts and a malted barley ice cream.

Whisky Beer Cake:
200g dates (stoned)
1 bottle Innis & Gunn Original or Rum Finish
1 large tablespoon of black treacle
65g butter
65g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
200g self-raising flour

Method
1. Place the dates, beer and treacle in a saucepan in a pan and bring to the boil. Once simmering, remove and set aside to soften for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. With the mixer still running, add the eggs, one at a time. Make sure each egg is well mixed and emulsified before adding the next.
4. Using a stick blender or food processor, blend the date and beer mix until fairly smooth. Don’t worry about a few lumps.
5. With the mixer still running, add this date puree to the eggs and sugar/butter. The puree can be warm, but make sure it has cooled slightly before adding to avoid the mixture splitting.
6. Once this has been mixed thoroughly, mix in the flour and bicarbonate of soda.
7. Spoon the mixture into a shallow tray lined with greaseproof paper. Ideally the mix should be about 2-3cm deep in the tray.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 175°C. The sponge should be well risen and coloured, and should yield a clean knife when the centre is pierced.

Salted Caramel:
250g caster sugar
250ml double cream
Large pinch of salt

Method
This is a very simple recipe, but requires the steps to be understood and followed carefully.

  1. Place the sugar in very clean heavy-based saucepan and mix with 50ml water.
  2. Cover the pan tightly with a double layer of foil.
  3. Place on a medium heat. The sugar will dissolve and the mixture will come to the boil. It should then be left covered on a medium heat for about 7-8 minutes. After this time check the colour of the sugar. You are looking for a light bronze/copper colour. If it is still clear, cover and return to the heat, checking every 2-3 minutes. Be very careful of the steam when removing the foil. The further you cook the sugar, the stronger and darker the caramel will be. The foil helps to avoid the sugar crystallising which is when the sugar seizes and turns white.
  4. When the desired colour has been reached, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the cream. The mixture will splutter, so be careful. Return the pan to the heat and whisk until smooth and glossy. If the caramel looks a little thin it can be boiled for a few minutes to thicken.
  5. Whisk in the salt to taste.