The Art of Scottish-American Cooking

Ordinarily, I don't put the words 'art' and 'Scottish cooking' together in a sentence without a negative (I can say this because my Irish ancestors were so renowned for their culinary finesse). But after thumbing through the recipes that Kay Shaw Nelson presents in her book The Art of Scottish-American Cooking, I'll have to admit that they all sound pretty tasty. Perhaps the American influence smooths out the rough influences of mutton, porridge and haggis - which I've actually tasted. Whatever the reason, this book is full of simple, filling food. There aren't a lot of exotic ingredients, the dishes don't require 3 days of preparation, and there's a good chance your kids will eat them (I don't make any promises for kipper pate, though). The 'Stuffed Smoked Salmon Eggs' took me aback, until I realized that they were eggs stuffed with smoked salmon. I had visions of trying to cram filling into roe. The American aspect of this book is far-ranging, from New England cod to Kansas meatloaf and Hawaiian fruit salad, and it blends well with Scottish classics such as bannock, rumbledethumps, collops, and atholl brose. Yumm, I'm hungry already!