HAGGIS BON BONS WITH WHISKY MUSTARD SAUCE

Haggis bon bons are a relatively new invention, having become popular over the last 20 years or so.

But you will rarely attend a fancy event and not get offered these as a canapé. For this recipe, i have used breadcrumbs but they work well with pinhead oatmeal as well. i always try to serve haggis in the different countries i work in.

i have served these to more than 200 chefs at events in india and i have also presented them at the British Consulate in Havana, Cuba.

Predictably, everyone loves them. They are a great introduction to haggis.

MAKES 4 PORTIONS INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BON BONS 400g (14oz) haggis 2 eggs a splash of milk Plain flour, for rolling the haggis 100g (3.5oz) Panko breadcrumbs

FOR THE WHISKY MUSTARD SAUCE

1 white onion 1 carrot, finely diced 50ml (2fl oz) whisky 100ml (3.5fl oz) red wine 1 teaspoon plain flour 300ml (10fl oz) brown chicken stock or vegetable stock 3 sprigs thyme 100ml (3.5fl oz) double cream 50g (2oz) arran mustard or wholegrain mustard Pinch chives, chopped good oil

METHOD FOR THE BON BONS

1 Break the haggis up in a food processor, then remould it into small balls of about 20g (half oz) in weight.

2 Mix together the eggs and the splash of milk and set out alongside a plate with the flour and breadcrumbs.

3 Roll the haggis bon bons first in the flour, then into your mix of egg and milk, and finally into the breadcrumbs.

4 Place in the fridge for a few hours to set.

5 Deep fry at 170C to 180C (340F to 350F) for 3 to 4 minutes until piping hot in the centre.

WHISKY MUSTARD SAUCE

1 Wash, peel and rewash your onions, then slice them as thin as you can. Cut with the grain (follow the lines on the onion) and avoid cutting rainbow shapes as they are all different sizes and will break up too much when cooking.

2 add the onions with a little oil to a wide-bottomed pan and place on the heat. Caramelising the onions is a long and slow process; you want to colour the onion without high heat as this gives the best flavour.

3 Once the onions have achieved a golden brown colour, add the finely diced carrots.

4 add the whisky, followed by the red wine, and boil until the wine is reduced by half. sprinkle the flour in, add the brown stock and thyme, and reduce till the sauce thickens.

5 Pass the sauce through a sieve into a clean pot, then add the cream, chopped chives and mustard.

6 To serve, pour a little of your sauce into some shot glasses and top with your crispy haggis bonbons.