Gruel and More Gruel

Well. I had grand plans of a cleverly-themed Fourth of July post. Instead, not only did I neglect to write said post, I forgot to post at all. Ah well, in lieu of that, today we’ll turn again to Mrs. Child’s, The American Frugal Housewife. More summer/Revolution-themed posts will be in your future….

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Gruel. Thoughts of watery, hot oatmeal come to mind. Not exactly images of delicious, nourishing food.

However, both of those terms came up as I recently whipped together some of Lydia Child’s gruel recipes. (And yes, there are more than just these two.)

Child introduces gruel as the perfect food for invalids: easy to digest and good for you. “Gruels” are also super simple to make.

The original recipes and their modern adaptations will be available at the bottom of this post!

The first recipe for Gruel produced something very familiar, a cereal akin to polenta or grits. To make it yourself, start with course-ground or stone-ground cornmeal and water.

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Stir a few tablespoons of cornmeal mixed with a little cold water into a pan of boiling water. Boil for 8-10 minutes, throwing in a small handful of raisins part way through.

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When the time is up and the water is absorbed, scrape the gruel into a bowl and season with salt, nutmeg, and sugar if you want. I skipped the sugar and still really enjoyed the cereal – ahem, gruel. The raisins give a little bit of sweetness, and the nutmeg adds a unique flavor I liked.

Egg Gruel

Far more unique than nutmeg, however, was Mrs. Child’s recipe for egg gruel. I assumed that eggs would be added to the standard gruel recipe – but I was most definitely incorrect.

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Instead, begin with a small pot of milk and carefully bring it to boiling. While you are waiting, whisk four eggs until a thin froth forms on top.

Next, make sure your arm is rested. XP Then when the milk boils, rapidly whisk it as you pour the eggs in very slowly. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes a thick cream, almost like a partially-set jello.

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The egg gruel was like a form of custard! As the recipe directs, I mixed in a pinch of salt and nutmeg, but omitted the recommended white sugar. I’m sure the addition of sugar would make a scrumptious custard dessert, perhaps with some fruit mixed in.

But even without the sugar, I – along with my taste-testers – enjoyed the unusual breakfast. It was creamy, eggy, and with a dash of nutmeg, a simple but rich meal.

For good health, Child recommends drinking half of the egg gruel while hot, and the other half two hours later. So if you’re feeling in the mood for a creamy, protein-full breakfast, give it a try!