Junket Pudding: Feed your gut!

April 28, 2016 - 36 Comments

Back in the day, when Sal was still with us on the farm, we used to put up over 8 gallons of milk a day. That's a lot of milk. And in wading through all that delicious goodness, we got pretty good at finding creative ways to use it up. Lots of went to homemade cheese, sour cream, and butter. But some of it… some of it went to junket.

Junket? JUNKET? What on God's green earth is junket?

I'm so glad you asked.

Junket is cheese… in a way. But it's totally not cheese. Junket is flan in a way… but totally not flan. And junket is custard-esque… but not at all. Junket is in a category all it's own.

You see, junket is a traditional food who's value has long been forgotten to all but some. And I'm ever thankful for people like David Asher – traditional cheese enthusiast – for reviving them. We need more David Asher's in the world, who keep us from forgetting what was so delicious and beautiful about the traditional ways things used to be done. In his book, The Art of Natural Cheesemaking, David says this about junket:

I think it's about time for junket to make a come back, for it's a delicious dessert, with a fantastic texture. Junket can be flavored with a variety of milk spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, or allspice, ginger, and mace. It can be made with any type of milk, be it cow, goat or sheep. And it can be spike with cream or spirits to make a more celebratory dessert. – David Asher

We originally made junket so that Willy could enjoy a dessert with us… as he'd just been weaned. Junket is a delicious transition food for the littles, as it is thriving with bacterial goodness. Don't bawk at me. We all need, and thrive, on beneficial bacteria. Embrace the bacteria. Don't fear it.

And embrace the junket. Because it's delicious.

Fun side note: In his book, David shares that junket actually used be served to the sick at hospitals. In fact, hospitals would have their own dairy on premises so that they could make LOTS of junket for their patients. It nourished them. And now, as he notes, we feed our patients blue Jell-o instead. How is this possible? What's nourishing about Jell-o?

Nothing. That was rhetorical question.

Amyway. Onward to junket.

Junket Pudding

Adapted from The Art of Natural Cheesemaking

If you are making junket with raw milk, follow the recipe as written. If your only option is pasteurized milk, you'll need to include an extra culturing step, as pasteurized milk does not contain populations of good bacteria that help acidify the milk, which is necessary for ensuring a good rennet set, as well as for keeping the growth of unwanted microorganisms in check. If you only have pasteurized, homogenized milk, I suggest seeking out better milk. – David Asher

You will need:

- 1 quart of raw, organic milk (pasteurized will work, but homogenized will not)
- 1 tablespoon active kefir or whey (optional if using raw milk but necessary if using pasteurized, non-homogenized milk)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 2 drops liquid rennet or 1/16th of a rennet tablet

1. Warm your milk up gently on the stove in a small saucepan until it reaches 90 degrees.

2. If using kefir or whey to culture your milk, add it into the milk, cover the pot, and allow it to incubate for 1 hour. This will allow the good bacteria time to grow and flourish! It's like microbial science right on your stovetop. I can't be the only one who thinks this is insanely cool…

3. After incubating the milk, mix in the maple syrup, salt, and spices. Stir to combine.

4. Dissolve the rennet in 1/4 cup of filtered water and add this to the milk. Gently stir to combine.

5. Pour the junket into cups or serving dishes of your choice. I used coffee mugs. Because they're pretty, yo. And that's important. individual serving dishes work best.

6. Let the junket set for 1-2 hours, or until firm. Junket can be kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve, but I enjoy it best at room temperature and right away!

Junket is a fantastic way to feed your family beneficial bacteria that will build their gut flora. Gut flora is the backbone of our health. Feed it.

Feed it junket. Because junket is delicious.

Ask me. I've eaten a lot of it. As have my children. They think it's one of greatest treats in the world.

Winning.

And Amen.

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