No. 1750 — Fluffy Smolensk Groats with Currants
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 1750 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
Rub two glasses Smolensk groats with two eggs, dry and sift through a coarse colander to separate the grains.
Bring two and a half glasses water or milk to the boil with two spoonfuls butter and salt, add all the groats while stirring briskly and cook over high heat five minutes.
Cover and cook over lower heat ten minutes, stir to break lumps and add washed, scalded and dried currants, fine sugar, cinnamon and more butter.
Put in the oven for twenty to thirty minutes, stirring two or three times so the grains brown evenly.
Turn onto a dish and serve with extra sugar and syrup, cream or a cold sauce from two yolks creamed with three lumps sugar, diluted with three quarters glass cream and heated just to the boil.
To provide
2 glasses Smolensk groats ⅜ Russian pound butter 2½ glasses water or milk | 2 eggs, ½–1 glass currants 5–6 sugar lumps 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sauce separately |