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Somersetshire Frumenty
Frumenty is a very old and wholesome dessert, especially for children and elderly people. Cook 1 quart of cracked wheat in 1 quart of water, with a pinch of salt, slowly, until soft. Add 1 quart of milk, and stir it until as thick as cream. Take off the fire, strain it, add sugar and nutmeg to taste, and 2 tablespoonfuls of washed currants. Stir again over the fire until the fruit is soft, add the beaten yolks of 2 eggs and take off. Serve cold in a bowl for supper or lunch.
A milk-and-wheat porridge set with egg yolk, closer to a loose rice pudding than a cake. The proportions need a little attention, since a quart of cracked wheat swells enormously.
- Cut the quantityA quart of dry cracked wheat plus a quart of milk will yield well over two quarts of finished frumenty — enough for eight or so. A quarter of the recipe (1 cup wheat, 1 cup water, 1 cup milk) is a more realistic supper for four; a single yolk is more than the strict quarter share but is the practical minimum.
- Water is shortCracked wheat absorbs two to three times its volume of water. Equal parts wheat and water will not soften it; start with at least double the water, keep the heat very low, and add more as it is taken up. Expect 30 to 45 minutes before the grain is tender.
- Cracked wheat, not bulgurThe original means raw wheat berries broken in a mill. Modern bulgur is parboiled and will cook in 15 minutes to a softer, blander result; coarse cracked wheat from a health-food aisle is the closer match.