Caboc is Scotland’s oldest cheese, created in the Scottish Highlands in the fifteenth century by the daughter of the chieftain of the clan MacDonald. It’s a rich, double cream cheese, rolled in oats, which goes perfectly with some sweet, pan-roasted carrots, and a sharp dill-infused dressing. Rich, smooth, creamy, fresh, tangy – it’s got everything needed for a perfect canapé. Caboc is widely available, but an alternative would be a log-shaped, mild goat’s cheese, with toasted oats added at home.
Ingredients
Serves 6 (about 12 canapés)
- 150g potatoes
- 35g butter
- 40g flour
- 1 medium carrot
- ½ tsp caraway seeds
- 12 slices Caboc
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp chopped dill
- ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Place the potatoes in a pan, cover with cold water, add a generous pinch of salt, and bring to the boil. Simmer until cooked through, then drain in a colander over the pan.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them with a sharp knife. Push through a potato ricer (or mash if you don’t have one), add 25g of the butter, season with salt and pepper, and combine quickly. Add the flour and mix with your hands to form a dough. The consistency of the dough may vary depending upon how much water the potatoes absorb, so it might need an extra spoonful of flour if it’s too wet.
- On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the potato mix to a thickness of about 3mm before cutting out small circles using a pastry cutter, shot glass, or any other round object about 3.5cm in diameter. Reform any unused dough and re-roll before cutting and repeating. Set aside.
- Peel the carrot, and chop into small squares (approximately 0.5cm).
- Heat a frying pan on a medium heat, add the caraway seeds, and toast until fragrant. Add a knob of butter until foaming, and then the chopped carrot. Pan roast the carrot until it’s taken on some colour.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard, then add the chopped dill.
- Place a heavy-bottomed frying pan on a medium-high heat, add the remaining knob of butter, and when foaming fry the potato cakes for around 2 mins on each side until golden. Leave to cool slightly on a kitchen paper.
- To assemble, put the potato cakes on a serving board, top each with a slice of cheese, then the caraway-roasted carrots, and finally drizzle over the dill vinaigrette.