Lemon posset

It sounds like a golden furred rodent scurrying about the undergrowth, but really the lemon posset is a super simple and refreshing desert.

Published January 2, 2013

It sounds like it should be some kind of golden furred rodent, scurrying through the undergrowth and nibbling on a pumpkin seed.

but no…

Almost disappointingly, the lemon posset is a super simple dessert that is really refreshing and creamy and wonderful.

Possetic history

So possets have been around (with the name posset) since the 15th century, but they have changed a bit since then.

Historically a posset was a drink made of milk curdled with alcohol, and then spiced. Whilst that doesn’t sound too great to me, it was considered as a general cure all kind of thing, and specifically sorted you right out if you were suffering from a cold.

Moving forward about 600 years, and the common usage of the word posset has evolved into something similar to a syllabub that is made up of cream and usually a citrus fruit, where the citric acid has the same curdling or setting effect as the alcohol used to.

The recipe

This is stupidly simple, there are only three ingredients and apart from the time for cooling it takes literally ten minutes.

If you can get unwaxed lemons then do, if not make sure that you wash them well in hot water before using them to get rid of as much of the wax as you can.

If you don’t have caster sugar then normal sugar should work fine, but it might be slightly grainy.

You will need

  • 2 Large lemons
  • 140g Caster sugar
  • 600ml Double cream

  1. Wash the lemons well, and then juice and zest them.

  2. Put the sugar and cream into a large pan and bring them slowly up to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Take it off of the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.

  3. Add the lemon zest and juice to the cream and give it a good whisk.

  4. Pour the mixture into six individual glasses/pots/ramekins and put it in the fridge to cool for at least three hours, and preferably overnight, to set.

  5. Serve it just as it, or garnish the top with a twist of lemon peel, a sprig of mint or a shaving of dark chocolate. Tastes especially yummy when served with almond biscuits.