Tearoom Treats: Scottish Tablet
Glasgow Museums have a special Scottish recipe for this week’s Tearoom Treats. Every granny or auntie has their own different way of making it – it’s tablet!
We’re just making a half quantity recipe because we didn’t have a pot deep enough but if you have a good solid soup or stock pot, you can double the ingredients and make a full batch.
You will need:
500g granulated sugar
100ml semi skimmed milk
Half a tin of condensed milk
50g unsalted butter
Grease a small baking tray. If you don’t have a small one, just do what we did and use a bigger tray and section it off halfway with some tin foil. This will stop the tablet from spreading too thin when you’re pouring it. Use the biggest pot you can find as the sugar will bubble up during cooking. For some reason, non-stick pans don’t work as well, so try using a metal or ceramic pot.
Combine the sugar and milk in the pot. Put the pot on a medium/high heat on the hob and let the sugar dissolve, the milk will stop it from burning and don’t worry if it starts to bubble. You can gently stir the milk and sugar in a figure of 8 motion with a flat bottomed spatula to make sure it’s not sticking to the pan, but don’t over-stir as the sugar will crystallise and you’ll be left with a pan of grit!
Once the sugar has dissolved (you can check by tapping the bottom of the pan with the spatula to check for sugar granules), add in the butter and condensed milk and turn the hob down to a medium heat. Keep stirring in the same, gentle, figure of 8 motion as the mixture bubbles away. It will take about 16-20 minutes for your tablet to darken.
You can check it’s ready by using a sugar thermometer or by spooning some into a cup of cold water – if it turns into a ball, it’s ready. We checked though by looking at the residue at the side of the pan. If it starts to set after you’ve stirred it and feels slightly gritty when you scrape it back down into the pot, it’s ready to come off the heat. Our batch took 18 minutes to get to this stage. You can leave it on for longer if you like a stronger flavour, but whenever you do take it off the heat, stir the tablet quickly so it cools just enough to pour.
Pour it into your tray and leave to set overnight. Once set, break up into bite sized pieces and store in an airtight container.
What are your methods to make tablet? Share your tips with us!
