Sofia Schlieben's Butter "Scotch" Egg Pastry Recipe - Exclusive
With the popularity of shows like "Is It Cake?" and TikTok videos showing increasingly realistic-looking objects made entirely from food, it is no surprise that restaurants have begun to create their own unique twists on the concept. JF Restaurants pastry chef Sofia Schlieben has taken on the challenge with a delicious and surprising dessert: the Butter "Scotch" Egg.
Based on the classic Scotch egg (in which a hard-boiled egg is wrapped in sausage, breaded, and fried), this pun-filled recipe looks shockingly like the real thing. The dish comprises a custard egg white with an orange curd yolk, which is set in a date "sausage" sponge cake with a caramel soak, finished by a chocolate and bacon-dipped shell.
The look of the Scotch egg and its name inspired Schlieben. In doing so, her butterscotch version works on many levels. Schlieben says her dish recalls "The warm notes of a Scotch egg but in a tongue-in-cheek pastry version." The dessert includes a caramel component and is meant to pair well, naturally, with a glass of Scotch whisky.
The recipe involves many parts and takes a full day to come together, but Schlieben states encouragingly, "Don't be overwhelmed." She continues that the best way to approach this recipe is to "follow the steps one by one and only focus on the component you are making at that time." If you do that, you will have a showstopping dessert to impress your friends and family.
- For the "egg white"
- ½ cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- For the "egg yolk"
- 1 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed if possible)
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- For the "sausage" batter
- 3 cups pitted dates
- 3 ¾ cups water
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ⅔ cup softened butter
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 6 eggs
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Zest from 2 oranges
- ½ teaspoon orange oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- For the "sausage" soak
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 2 ounces Scotch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the bacon crunch dip
- 2 cups dark chocolate
- 1 cup milk chocolate
- 1 cup bacon, chopped into small pieces
- Green-dyed white chocolate "chives" or green sprinkles
- To start the egg white portion, preheat oven to 300 F.
- Set up a water bath for baking the custards using a high-sided container like a casserole dish that is larger than your egg mold.
- In a saucepan over low heat, melt sugar and pinch of salt in ½ cup of the heavy cream.
- Once the sugar has melted, add the remaining cream to the saucepan. Stir well and let it cool.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and whole egg.
- Slowly pour the cooled cream mixture into the eggs, stirring continuously.
- Strain the mixture to ensure a smooth texture.
- Chill the custard mixture in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Pour the chilled mixture into small egg molds (cavity sized 2.36x1.69-inch), placed in the water bath.
- Place in the preheated oven.
- Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the custard is set but still slightly jiggly in the center.
- Remove from oven carefully and allow custards to cool to room temperature.
- Freeze for at least 2 hours or until fully solid and un-moldable.
- For the egg yolk portion, in a saucepan, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and a pinch of salt.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or a whisk until it thickens. This usually takes about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the butter until it's incorporated.
- Transfer it to a bowl, top with plastic wrap against the surface to cool completely.
- Transfer the cooled orange curd to a piping bag.
- For the sausage "batter," in a saucepan, add the pitted dates and water and let them simmer for about 10 minutes until they become soft.
- Remove from heat, add baking soda, and blend the mixture until smooth. Let it cool slightly and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time to the butter-sugar mixture, ensuring each egg is well incorporated before adding the next.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually fold the date mixture, orange zest, orange oil, and vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar.
- Once combined, fold in the sifted dry ingredients until just mixed.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Grease your baking molds with cooking spray.
- Fill large egg molds (cavity sized 3.29x2.8x1.2-inch) three-quarters full of the batter.
- If you have egg center molds, spray them well and insert into the batter.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Check for doneness with a toothpick; it should come out clean when inserted into the center.
- Remove the center and cool in molds to room temperature.
- While the batter bakes, make the soak: In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and a splash of water.
- Heat over medium heat until the mixture reaches a medium caramel color. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
- Gradually add butter to the caramel, stirring constantly until fully incorporated. Be cautious, as the mixture is very hot and may pop.
- Stir in heavy cream, vanilla paste, Scotch, and salt. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Allow the caramel soak to cool to room temperature.
- For the bacon crunch dip, cook bacon until it's completely crispy. Allow it to cool, then chop it into very small pieces. Reserve 2 teaspoons of bacon fat for the recipe.
- In a heatproof bowl, melt both the dark and milk chocolate. You can use a microwave or a double boiler for this. Stir occasionally to ensure even melting.
- Once the chocolate is melted, add the finely chopped bacon and the reserved 2 teaspoons of bacon fat. Stir until the bacon is evenly distributed in the chocolate.
- Keep warm so it remains fluid for dipping.
- When ready to assemble, trim the sponge top to be flush with the mold.
- Add 2 spoons of caramel into the sponge.
- Carefully insert the frozen egg white into the soaked sponge.
- Insert 3 skewers into the sponge at a 45-degree angle visually like a V shape
- Dip into bacon dip just to cut line of the sponge.
- Set on parchment covered tray.
- Temper eggs to thaw in refrigerator.
- Scoop yolk-sized half-sphere out of the egg.
- Fill the center with the cooled orange curd using a piping bag.
- Top with white chocolate "chives" or green sprinkles, if desired.
- Serve on top of more caramel sauce.