flipWheat Porridge with Rhine Cheese
Wheat Porridge with Rhine Cheese
Why this dish? Between the splendor of banquets, the court lived on simple foods: bread, cheese and porridges. *Mus*, a thick cereal porridge, was the staple of daily meals even in the great Rhenish houses that Henry IV frequented.
A creamy wheat porridge cooked in milk, melted with Rhine cheese, lifted by a hint of pepper. The quiet comfort of ordinary days.
One does not feast every day, even when wearing a crown. Here is the *mus* served to me at rising, simple and warm: good wheat burst in milk, and on top the cheese from my Rhine pastures, stirred until it strings. A pinch of pepper, because I am the Emperor after all, and the belly is content. This is the dish for days when one works at governing rather than appearing.
- •Cracked wheat or wheat flour — one bowl (porridge base)
- •Milk — as needed (cooking liquid)
- •Rhine cheese — a good piece (umami, richness)
- •Butter — a knob (binder)
- •Salt and pepper — a little (seasoning)
Wheat Porridge with Rhine Cheese
A creamy wheat porridge cooked in milk, melted with Rhine cheese, lifted by a hint of pepper. The quiet comfort of ordinary days.
Why this dish? Between the splendor of banquets, the court lived on simple foods: bread, cheese and porridges. *Mus*, a thick cereal porridge, was the staple of daily meals even in the great Rhenish houses that Henry IV frequented.
One does not feast every day, even when wearing a crown. Here is the *mus* served to me at rising, simple and warm: good wheat burst in milk, and on top the cheese from my Rhine pastures, stirred until it strings. A pinch of pepper, because I am the Emperor after all, and the belly is content. This is the dish for days when one works at governing rather than appearing.
Ingredients (period version)
- Cracked wheat or wheat flour — one bowl (porridge base)
- Milk — as needed (cooking liquid)
- Rhine cheese — a good piece (umami, richness)
- Butter — a knob (binder)
- Salt and pepper — a little (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Fine wheat semolina (or flour) — 120 g (base)
- Milk — 700 ml (cooking liquid)
- Pressed cheese, Rhenish style (or Comté / young Munster) — 100 g grated (umami)
- Butter — 20 g (binder)
- Salt — 1/2 tsp (seasoning)
- Black pepper — 1 pinch (imperial touch)
Method
- Bring the milk to a simmer with the salt and butter.
- Pour in the semolina in a rain while whisking, and cook over low heat for 5 to 8 min until thickened.
- Off the heat, stir in the grated cheese until melted.
- Add a pinch of pepper, serve very hot in an earthenware bowl.
How it was made : Cereal porridge (*mus*, *puls*) was the staple food of the Middle Ages, from peasant to prince, the difference lying in the quality of the flour and additions. White wheat, more expensive than rye or barley, marked noble tables. Rhine cheeses, preserved and aged, were a valuable resource.
The contemporary twist : Serve it flowing like a white risotto, with a veil of melted grated cheese on top and a turn of the pepper mill.
Henri IV · Charactorium