In Russian national cuisine, porridge takes a dominant place. She was, judging by the saying, the food of the poor. But they did not disdain it in wealthy houses. Of what cereals did Russian people not make porridge! From buckwheat, rice, wheat, oat, barley, pearl barley ... But among all this variety of cereals there is one, which began to be called imperial. It is made from semolina. Do not rush to grimace squeamishly, remembering the torments that you suffered in childhood when your parents forced you to eat the whole white dud on a plate. Guryev’s porridge, the history and recipes of which we will give here, is something special. Your children will not only instantly gobble it on both cheeks, but will also ask for supplements. Because Guryev’s porridge is a dessert. In addition, the one who glorified Russia as tiramisu Italy, and eclair - France.
An interesting story of Guryev’s porridge
It happened at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire Dmitry Guryev, who received the title of Count much later, was visiting the estate of his friend, a retired military man Yurisovsky. And one day porridge was served for dessert during dinner. Yes, not simple semolina, but special - on baked milk, with froths, with nuts, and berries. The minister was so delighted that he asked to call the cook who had come up with the recipe. It turned out to be a serf named Zakhar Kuzmin. The sympathetic minister condescended to the fact that he kissed him on both cheeks, and then bought him together with his whole family from Yurisovsky and brought him to Petersburg. There Kuzmin began to cook porridge very often. And whoever the minister regaled with this dessert, everyone was delighted. So he got the name by the name of the landowner, who owned a talented chef, - "Guryev porridge." A classic recipe with a photo of this treat will be presented below. But to complete the history of dessert, we add that abroad he gained fame during the Napoleonic Wars. And the love of Alexander III for this dish added to him the epithet “imperial”.
Guryev porridge: classic recipe, step by step, with photo
Zakhar Kuzmin created his masterpiece with the help of a Russian stove. But, if you try, you can cook a delicious Guryev porridge according to an old recipe and on a regular gas stove. But for this you need a thick-walled stewpan. The whole process can be divided into phases:
- Milk heating and picking foam.
- Cooking semolina.
- Annealing nuts.
- Preparation of candied fruits and dried fruits.
- Layering and languishing dishes in the oven.
All steps are equally important. For example, if you don’t calcify the nuts, as required by the classic recipe of Guryev’s porridge, the whole dish will come out gray and lose much in the aroma. Let’s take a look at each phase of the preparation of the imperial dessert in turn.
We make ordinary milk melted and collect froths
What does the slightly modernized classic recipe for Guryev porridge say about this? Pour a liter and a glass of fat farm milk into a stewpan with a thick bottom or ducklings. Add a teaspoon of vanillin, stir and put under the lid on a very small fire. So weary for more than an hour. Milk froths formed during heating are carefully collected and stacked on a saucer. You can do otherwise, using technology close to the thermal conditions of the Russian stove. The oven, unlike a burner, heats dishes from all sides, and not just from below. We warm it up to 150 degrees. Pour milk or cream into a wide refractory dish. The disadvantage of this method is that you can get burned by pulling out the pan to remove the foam. And this must be done at least six times. And even more often - after all, you need to wait until the milk acquires a beige shade.
Cooking semolina
If you made foams in the oven, then remove the dishes from the oven and place on the stove. After all, cooking Guryev’s porridge (the classic recipe does not mention how Zakhar Kuzmin coped with this task) requires constant stirring. We pour a half stream of semolina and two tablespoons of sugar into a melted milk in a thin stream. It is better to measure the required amount immediately, because you must constantly drive with a spoon in circular motions in one direction. Continue to cook until semolina is fully cooked. Porridge should thicken well. Remove the stewpan from the stove, cool under the lid.
Preparing nuts and fruits
In the classic recipe for Guryev porridge, the following types were used: walnut, cedar, almonds and hazelnuts. But nothing bad will happen if we take two types of nuts from this list. But peeled nucleoli should be one glass. Moreover, walnuts and hazelnuts must also be freed from brown films. To do this, fill the nucleoli with boiling water and salt after three minutes. The brown films will then easily separate. Crush nuts, but not very finely. We fall asleep on a dry baking sheet. We calcine in the oven so that they acquire crispy properties. Fill half a glass of honey. Bake for three minutes.
We clean the apple and pear (one fruit of medium size), remove fruit boxes, cut the flesh into cubes. Fill half a glass of honey, put on a small fire. Let it soften. A handful of dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots, prunes, dates are suitable) scalded with boiling water. After ten minutes, drain the water. If necessary, we take out the bones. We cut large dried fruits.
Layering
Thanks to the step-by-step recipe of Guryev’s porridge with a photo of all phases of the process, you won’t be mistaken, and add it like Zakhar Kuzmin once did for a distinguished guest. Since we still have to bake the dish, we will use a frying pan without a handle, but with high walls. It can be both cast iron and clay. Below, carefully spread one foam. We put a third of the semolina on it. With a knife we ​​form an even layer. Put milk froth again. Sprinkle with half the nuts. Above are an apple and a pear in honey. Then - a layer of semolina (second third). Next is another foam. Sprinkle with the remaining nuts. We spread dried fruits. Then the foam and the remaining semolina. Sprinkle the entire surface with sugar. We put it at 180 degrees in the oven. Bake until golden brown.
Modern Guryev porridge recipe with photo
Now we have products that will make the dish faster and without much hassle. Take not ordinary, but already baked milk - a liter. Put it on the fire, and when it boils, pour salt, sugar and vanillin, focusing on your taste. Then, with a thin stream, we introduce three fourth cups of semolina. Cook a rather viscous porridge. Put it to cool, and at this time we will take care of the nuts.
There should be at least two types, and preferably more. We’ll calcine well one hundred grams of nuts in a dry pan, crush them with a rolling pin not very finely and add 50 g of butter to the porridge. Mix well. The oil should dissolve, and the nuts should be evenly distributed.
If you want to use dried fruits, then they should be steamed, filtered and added to the porridge at this stage. Now we introduce the yolks from four raw eggs. Knead. We cool the whites and beat in foam. Also add to the porridge, gently kneading. We shift the entire mass into a baking dish. Leveling. Sprinkle with brown sugar and crushed nuts. Bake until golden brown at 180 degrees.
Some tips
So, now you have learned the recipe for Guryev’s porridge. To diversify its taste, do not be afraid to use imagination. You can add grated lemon or orange zest, cardamom, cinnamon to the finished semolina, pour rum or sweet liquor. Serve porridge, if it is flaky, should be in a transparent dish. You can also offer each guest a portion pot with a traditional Russian dessert. We hope that a treat prepared according to an old recipe will be enjoyed by your loved ones.