Norwegian Rømmegrøt - A Porridge of Love Recipe

"After doing some research, I was fascinated with the history of Norwegian Rommegrot. THE STORY as researched by Daytona Strong: Rømmegrøt (rømme translates to sour cream, and grøt to porridge) is pretty simple, really—it’s mostly sour cream, milk, and flour. In the old times, Rømmegrøt was the type of food that was made to bring to a new mother, to nourish her body after she gave birth. It was also served to celebrate the harvest or to feed neighbors who helped out at busy times. It would be eaten at weddings and funerals, those events that would bring you and your community together to either celebrate or to grieve. The composition itself, a thick, rich cream porridge, would be the sort to nourish the body and nurture the soul—especially when served with its traditional accompaniments of cured meats and salted fish. These days the thought of something so rich often makes people worry about calories and fat, an enemy of the waistline, but that is missing the point. This is celebration food, food with history, food that would bring people together and provide a way to show love."

Original is 6 servings

Metric US

I've Tried It

Ingredients

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1 cup heavy whipping cream (at least 35%)
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk

3/4 teaspoon salt
Sugar, for serving (granulated, but I would suggest Demarara because it's such a good topping for porridge)
Cinnamon, for serving
Melted butter, for serving (optional)

Nutritional

Serving Size: 1 (256.1 g)
Calories 293.5
Total Fat - 14.6 g
Saturated Fat - 8.6 g
Cholesterol - 50.4 mg
Sodium - 518.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 30.6 g
Dietary Fiber - 0.7 g
Sugars - 10.3 g
Protein - 9.8 g
Calcium - 257.7 mg
Iron - 0.4 mg
Vitamin C - 0.1 mg
Thiamin - 0.1 mg

Step by Step Method

TO MAKE THE SOUR CREAM

NOTE: Please Don't substitute store bought sour cream, it is a totally different result as intended here.

Step 1

In a medium saucepan, warm cream until it’s about body temperature. Pour in the buttermilk, give it a quick stir, and let it sit in the pot until it thickens, which should take at least 8 - 10 hours. (So, I would do this the night before).

Step 2

When you’re ready to make the rømmegrøt, bring the sour cream to a simmer, covered, in the same pan.

Step 3

Meanwhile, in another pot heat the milk so it will be ready to bring to a boil when you need it.

Step 4

After 15 minutes of simmering the sour cream, sift about a third of the flour over the cream, stirring constantly as you add the flour (This is important to prevent lumps). Simmer for a few more minutes, until the fat has separated and you can skim or pour it off into a separate container. Reserve the fat and please don't throw it out!

Step 5

Bring the milk to a boil in its pot.

Step 6

Sift the remaining flour over the porridge, stirring constantly as you go.

Step 7

With the pot over the heat, add milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, until you have the consistency you want. You will need to use all the milk, knowing that the porridge thickens as it cools.

Step 8

Transfer the porridge to the larger milk pot if you need it for space. Whisk vigorously until the lumps are gone, and continue to simmer for another ten minutes.

Step 9

Stir in the salt. To serve, divide the rømmegrøt between bowls. Add the reserved fat to each (You may not end up with much, so therefore, add a bit of melted butter as needed).