If you’re looking for a vegan dish for the upcoming Celtic holiday Imbolc, I suggest Flummery! Dairy products were sacred to both Brigid the goddess and St. Brigid the saint, but from Ireland, Scotland to Wales, oatmeal was – and still is – almost a sacred food of its own! While I’ve never heard of it being associated with Brigid, plenty of dishes featuring oatmeal certainly were. And considering Flummery is such an easy inexpensive way to create a special dessert, I’m convinced one or two must have been made for her Feast Day.
Flummery is believed to take its name from the Welsh word Cymric llymru, which means soft oatmeal. According to this 15th-century recipe from Countrey Contentments flummery (flumerie) was made by steeping oatmeal in water then “ boyling it to a thicke and stiffe jelly. This was often flavored with floral waters such as rosewater, a dash of nutmeg, and topped off with some kind of spirits mixed with honey and cream. Most often, only the oat water was used but some recipes kept the oatmeal in – which I did for the Elderflower Liqueur Flummery pictured below.
Flummery is the forerunner of semi-set desserts which had their heyday between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Elaborately molded dishes like Blancmange were found on the tables of high society, but gelatin had replaced oats as the setting agent, and cream was also a main ingredient. Sometimes eggs were added to make a custard-like jelly. Sometimes they were served as puddings (but stiffened with gelatin). Often coloring agents were used, pomegranate juice or berry juice to create pink and violet, saffron for golden yellow, and varied herbs for green. I created a violet-infused version for Enchanted Living Magazine (below). It was an homage to the Faerie Queen who loved her dairy desserts. Recipe here.
These kinds of jellied desserts fell out of vogue by the 20th century. They had a brief comeback during the 1950s and 60s but were mostly composed of Jell-O and evaporated milk. Today quite a few chefs are reviving the tradition (without the Jello-O) and who knows, they may make a comeback!
This oatmeal-based recipe for Rose Flummery uses the traditional rose water, a splash of Rose Liqueur, and a couple of tablespoons of elderberry syrup for color. It keeps with the new traditions of adding cream and gelatin but in this case, I’ve used Oatmeal Whipping Cream and Agar powder (to replace the gelatin). Voila, it’s completely vegan! You can purchase Oatmeal Whipping Cream online or in stores with a good selection of vegan products. You can also make your own, just google it and you’ll find several recipes. You should be able to substitute whipped coconut cream as well, or even make it without “cream” altogether, but I can’t vouch for either as I haven’t tried it. The cream gives it more heft and richness, so without it may be a bit thin and wobbly. Think of this Oatmeal Rose Flummery as a firm pudding in texture.
In the 1747 book The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy author Hannah Glasse’s recipe for Flummery notes that “Grotes once cut does better than Oatmeal”. Groats are whole-grain oats but steel-cut oats will work equally well. Be sure not to use instant oats, they are pre-cooked and lack the starch to set this dish. Since you may not be able to find groats or steel-cut oats, rolled oats will do the trick as long as you augment the dish with agar powder (which is derived from seaweed) and a little cornstarch which helps hold it together.
You can flavor and color Flummery in so many ways. If you don’t have elderberry syrup (or cordial or liqueur) you could also add a splash of blackberry syrup or liqueur, as both berries were sacred to Brigid. To top my Flummery I used a splash of Rose Liqueur, mixed with oatmeal cream and honey but the sky is the limit when it comes to serving your Flummery. Glasse advises “…eat it with what you please, either Wine and Sugar, or Beer and Sugar, or Milk; it eats very pretty with Cyder and Sugar.”
While my Oatmeal Rose Flummery may not be a traditional Flummery or a traditional Imbolc dish, I’m sure Brigid wouldn’t mind at all to find it on her Feasting Table!
Oatmeal Rose Flummery
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tablespoons of steel-cut oats, or rolled oats (do not use instant oats)
- 2 cups of water
- 4 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of elderberry or blackberry syrup
- 1 cup “oat milk” whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon rose water
- zest & juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons agar powder
Topping
- 2 ounces of oat milk whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons Rose Liqueur/Syrup
- 2 tablespoons of honey substitute or whatever syrup you fancy.
DIRECTIONS
Place oatmeal in a pot or large jar. Add water and soak the oatmeal for 48 hours, stirring occasionally. Next, drain off the oatmeal and keep the liquid. This liquid is your “setting agent”.
Pour the oatmeal liquid into a pan and add rosewater, lemon juice, zest, sugar, cardamom, and elderberry syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil stirring continuously till it begins to thicken, about 15 – 20 minutes. Add cornstarch and agar powder and stir briskly as it thickens further.
Meanwhile, fill a small decorative mold (2- to 3-cup) with ice and ice water. Let it just sit and chill. You want the mold cold and wet when you are ready to use it.
Remove the oatmeal mixture from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Stir the oatmeal whipping cream into the mixture, and blend well.
Pour the ice water out of your mould but do not dry it. (This makes the pudding easier to unmold later) Pour the mixture into the mold. If you don’t have a mold just pour it into 4 serving glasses.
Chill in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight. Before serving, blend the topping ingredients together (rose liqueur, oat whipped cream, and honey). Unmold your flummery and place it on a serving dish. Top each serving off with a dollop of the oat cream mixture.
