Lemon Posset
Let me introduce you to a mediaeval dessert, tangy, creamy and prepped in just 5 minutes (ok, so it has 6 hours chilling time): the lemon posset.
For dessert, sometimes I want something light and cleansing. I was thinking of the acidity of lemons. I remembered seeing a recipe for a lemon posset and being curious. After all, how exciting can a dessert comprising of double cream and sugar be? Ahh, well in fact it can be just as exciting as a chocolate mousse or a chestnut gateaux, for surprise of surprises, the two ingredients cooked together form a dense cream, thicker and richer than clotted cream, that is a perfect base for all manner of flavourings.
A posset is a mediaeval dessert. Well, it had to be. The name alone evokes phantasmagorical images of maidens in tall pointy hats, wearing low brocade dresses strolling through orange gardens, playing mournful songs on a mandolin, flanked by five long legged salukis.
In fact, a posset is a Middle Age concoction, whereby hot milk was curdled by adding wine. It was then drank as a curative rather than for pleasure. The Posset was so popular that Posset tea sets were commonplace in the homes of the upper-class, a Posset being taken before bed to aid sleep (much the same as a hot drink before bed today).
As time went on, the posset became far more palatable: mulled wine, nutmeg, cinnamon and mace were added as flavourings, with eggs and sugar used as thickeners, the most famous of which, The Sack Posset, is noted by Samuel Pepys in his diaries.
So, perhaps my imagination is overly vivid, but the dessert is truly what fantasies are made of. And please indulge me. As I near another rotation around the sun, I reflect on the fact that my life has really not moved on. I am no richer, no slimmer, no more successful, and my last surviving grandparent recently passed away. But I am not maudlin. I feel a deeper contentment than I ever have. As I reach my older years, the realisation that time should not be spent fretting about things is more pertinent than ever.
How to make a Lemon Posset
Possibly one of the easiest desserts in the world to make, you simply heat cream and sugar until boiling, then stir in the lemon juice. Strain into a jug and then decant into ramekins. Chill for several hours then serve.
Once set, the posset will be slightly firm on top but underneath it will be soft and velvety, like the texture of custard.
Optional
For a luxurious but light dessert, serve with some lovely sweet raspberries and a couple of butter biscuits.
LEMON POSSET
INGREDIENTS
- 284 ml Double cream
- 100 g Caster Sugar vanilla preferably but if you don’t have vanilla caster sugar, add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cream when you remove from the heat
- 1 Lemon juice only
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the cream and sugar in a large saucepan. Boil for three minutes.
- Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract (if using). The cream will thicken as you add the lemon.
- Strain into a jug (to remove any skin that the hot cream might have produced) and pour into ramekins. Chill for at least six hours. I chilled them overnight.
- They will set to an incredibly firm but creamy texture and taste perfectly tangy. Serve with some butter biscuits or fresh raspberries.
