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Slemp
Spiced saffron milk
Slemp: an old Dutch winter milk spiced with saffron, cinnamon, cloves and mace and touched with a little black tea
Slemp is the Dutch holiday drink of earlier centuries: on Sinterklaas evening, around New Year and on skating days in the 18th and 19th centuries, a big kettle of milk was simmered with saffron, mace, cinnamon, cloves, lemon peel and a handful of tea leaves, and ladled into cups for family and visitors. Slemp evenings came back into fashion in Amsterdam museums and village fairs, and you can still buy dried 'slempkruiden' spice mixes in old-fashioned shops. The drink is golden, faintly floral from the saffron, warmly spiced and only lightly sweet, with a soft tea background; a spoon of cornflour gives it a slight body. The common mistake is throwing all the spices straight into boiling milk: cloves turn harsh and the milk catches. Steep the spices in the hot milk below the boil instead, then strain. It is ready when it has turned saffron-gold and smells of cinnamon and mace. The tea adds a small amount of caffeine. Chef's tip: soak the saffron in a spoon of warm milk for ten minutes first; the colour spreads more evenly and you need fewer threads.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the spiced milk
- 4 ¼ cups whole milk
- 1 pinch saffron threadsabout 15 threads
- 1 tbsp black tea leavesor 2 tea bags
- 4 cloves
- 1 blade maceor a pinch of grated nutmeg
- 1 strip of lemon peelno white pith
- 2 ⅛ oz sugaror to taste
To thicken
- 1 tbsp cornflour (optional)mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Warm 2 tbsp of the 3 ½ tbsp whole milk, add 1 pinch saffron threads and leave to soak for 10 minutes until deep orange.
10 minStep 2: Put the rest of the 4 cups whole milk in a heavy pan with 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 1 blade mace and 1 strip of lemon peel and heat over medium-low until steaming, with tiny bubbles at the edge, about 8 minutes. Don't let it boil.
8 minStep 3: Tie the 1 tbsp black tea leaves in a piece of muslin or tea infuser, add it with the saffron milk and steep over the lowest heat for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden and fragrant.
10 minStep 5: Strain into cups and serve hot, with a spiced biscuit if you like.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 195 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does slemp take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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