Peptonised Gruel
Ingredients
Directions
Make the gruel
Boil the gruel until well cooked and very thick.
Pour into a jug or basin and let it cool to 140°F (60°C).
Peptonise
Stir in the liquor pancreaticus well.
Keep warm under a cozy near the fire.
Allow to stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on desired peptonisation.
Taste to ensure it does not become too bitter.
Finish and serve
Bring the mixture to a boil and strain.
Serve the strained 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.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Gruel
- Forms the thick, starchy base that the enzymes act on and that gives the final dish its body.
- Benger’s liquor pancreaticus
- Pancreatic enzymes break down the gruel's starch and protein into smaller, more digestible pieces.
The step that matters
Standing time at warm temperature. The enzymes work best while the gruel is warm, so it must be kept warm during standing. Standing too long lets the breakdown go too far, producing a bitter taste, which is why the mixture should be tasted before it is boiled and strained.
“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.
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