Cream Gluten Gruel

A two-ingredient invalid gruel from the era when "gluten meal" was sold as a low-starch cereal for diabetics. The hinge is dispersing the gluten so it does not seize into lumps.

• Gluten meal todayThe period product was a wheat flour with much of the starch washed out; advertised protein levels varied widely from brand to brand, and analyses of the day often found far more starch left in than the label claimed. The nearest shelf equivalent is vital wheat gluten, which is far more concentrated at 75-80 percent and thickens much more aggressively; a mixture of vital wheat gluten with an equal part of plain wheat flour behaves closer to the original.
• Add it off the boilGluten hydrates instantly and ropes. Take the water off the heat, rain the meal in through a whisk in a thin stream, then return to a low flame. Dropping it into a rolling boil in one go gives a lump you cannot beat out.
• Thin creamNineteenth- and early twentieth-century "thin cream" was around 18-20 percent fat, closest to today's single cream; half-and-half, at about 10-12 percent, is lighter still. Whole milk works and gives a lighter gruel.
• Cooking time"Cook till thickened" is two to four minutes of gentle simmering with constant stirring. Gluten sets quickly and then only gets tougher, so stop as soon as it coats the spoon.
• Heat, do not boil, after the milkOnce the milk goes in, bring it just to the first shiver of a boil. A hard boil in a thick gluten base scorches on the pan bottom and gives the whole thing a burnt-milk taste. A double boiler avoids the problem entirely.
• SeasoningHalf a teaspoon of salt in two cups of gruel is assertive by modern taste; start with a quarter teaspoon. Plain gluten has very little flavour of its own, so a scrape of nutmeg or a little vanilla is not out of character for how these gruels were served.
• YieldAbout two cups, which would serve one invalid or make two small servings; the recipe itself does not say. Serve hot in a cup, thinned with more milk if it stiffens on standing, which it will.
• Not a gluten-free dishDespite the name confusion this can cause, gluten meal is concentrated wheat protein and is entirely unsuitable for anyone with celiac disease or wheat allergy.