Name: Emoliente
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Cuisine: Central & South American
Ingredients: 1 cup roasted barley; ½ cup flaxseeds; ¼ cup dried horsetail , crumbled into 1-inch pieces; 1 stick (2½ inches long by 1 inch wide) cat's claw bark; 2 quarts water; 3 tablespoons lemon juice , plus extra for seasoning; 2 tablespoons honey , plus extra for seasoning

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted to re-create a classic emoliente that would give us the healthful benefits of barley and flaxseeds in a delicious drink. We found several common denominators to emoliente: toasted barley, flaxseeds, horsetail, and cat's claw. Cat's claw is a bitter-tasting, woody vine found in the tropical jungles of South and Central America, while horsetail is a grassy-tasting fern. Toasted barley is chock-full of nutrients and minerals and it gives a nutty flavor when brewed. Flaxseeds gave texture to our beverage and served as a powerhouse of fiber. To meld these flavors together, we introduced lemon juice and honey, which brought a hint of acidity and sweetness that made the final drink taste like warm, sweet-tart lemons with nutty notes, and gave it a thick, soothing texture. Keeping the drink at a simmer for half an hour allowed for proper extraction of the thickening qualities of flaxseeds and for adequate reduction and concentration of flavor.

Before You Begin

Roasted unhulled barley kernels (sometimes known as toasted barley) is what gives this beverage its distinctive caramel hue and nutty flavor; do not substitute pearl barley. Dried horsetail and cat's claw bark can be purchased at specialty tea shops, health stores, or online.

Instructions

Bring barley, flaxseeds, horsetail, cat's claw, and water to simmer in large saucepan and cook until liquid is reduced by half, 30 to 35 minutes.

Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into heat-safe bowl, then return to now-empty saucepan. Just before serving, stir in lemon juice and honey. Season with extra to taste. (Emoliente can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; mixture will thicken once chilled but loosen again after reheating. To make a single portion, bring 1 cup emoliente to simmer in small saucepan, then stir in 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon honey.)