Recipe. Gruel
Ingredients
Directions
In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.
Stir in ½ pound of treacle until dissolved.
Add a handful of coarse sea salt and mix well.
Finally, stir in 1 pint of linseed oil until fully combined.
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
- Water
- Forms the liquid base that dissolves the treacle and carries the other ingredients.
- Treacle
- Adds sweetness and a deep, dark flavour to the liquid.
- Linseed oil
- Adds fat, giving richness and a smoother mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Stirring in the linseed oil. Oil and water do not mix on their own, so the oil tends to separate out unless it is thoroughly stirred and dispersed through the liquid. Stir until no oil floats on the surface.
“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.
More porridge recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 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.