Peptonised Milk Gruel
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Make a thick gruel from any farinaceous food you prefer.
Make the peptoned milk
Add ½ pint of boiling hot gruel to ½ pint of cold milk.
Stir in the liquor pancreaticus and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda.
Cover and keep warm for 30 minutes.
Finish
Boil for a few minutes, strain, and serve the gruel.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Thick gruel
- Provides a starchy, thickened base that gives the drink body.
- Fresh milk
- Supplies the liquid and proteins that the enzyme breaks down during holding.
- Liquor pancreaticus
- Pancreatic enzymes partly break down milk proteins and starches, making the mixture more digestible.
The step that matters
Boil for a few minutes after the warm holding. Boiling inactivates the pancreatic enzymes, stopping their action at the intended point. Skipping or shortening this boil leaves the enzymes active, so the gruel keeps breaking down and may taste bitter or thin.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
You might also like
Rice Gruel28 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.