A posset was originally a warming drink made from cream thickened with citrus juice or alcohol – luxurious sack posset, flavoured with wine and costly spices such as saffron, for example, was a popular tonic in Shakespeare’s day (and, thanks to its lustful reputation, a mainstay of wedding festivities). Modern posset, however, has solidified into a pudding and, though I can’t claim it has any medicinal qualities, it is guaranteed to please.
Prep 5 min
Cook 10 min
Chill 2 hr+
Serves 4
2 lemons, preferably unwaxed
125g white or golden sugar
425ml double cream
A pinch of nutmeg
A pinch of ginger
1 tbsp flaked almonds (optional)
1 tbsp candied peel (optional)
1 A note on the lemons
Ideally, buy unwaxed organic lemons for this recipe (organic fruit is never waxed), because it makes use of the zest as well as the juice; though wax should be perfectly safe to eat, few of us like the idea of consuming it. Alternatively, give waxed fruit a good scrub with a stiff brush and hot water before use.
2 Zest one of the lemons
If the lemons are fridge cold, zap them in a microwave for 15 seconds before juicing, because this increases the amount of liquid you’ll get from each fruit (or simply put them somewhere warm for a while before starting work). Finely grate the zest from one of the lemons and put it in a small pan.
3 Juice the lemons
Juice the lemons through a sieve, to catch any pips (or use whatever juicing tool you have), into a measuring jug – you’ll need about 100ml, which, depending on the size of the fruit, will probably leave you with a spare half-lemon, which you can save for another use. Pour the juice into the pan with the zest.
4 Add sugar and dissolve
Add the sugar to the pan and put it on a low heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. I’d recommend using white or golden sugar, rather than anything more strongly flavoured, both for colour (lemon being more appetising than beige) and to allow the fruit to take centre stage, but feel free to experiment with other sweeteners to taste. Take off the heat and cover to keep warm.
5 Mix the cream and spices
Pour the cream into a medium pan, preferably a fairly heavy-based or nonstick one, and add the spices. Possets were traditionally fairly highly seasoned, so you could tweak these to suit your taste, adding a pinch of saffron, a small cinnamon stick or a couple of cloves, for example, or a little mixed spice instead of the nutmeg and ginger.
6 Heat the cream and spices
Gently heat the cream until it’s barely simmering, then take off the heat (if you do use whole spices, as mentioned in step 5, at this point ideally set aside the cream mix to infuse for at least 20 minutes before fishing out the spices, reheating and proceeding with the recipe). Pour in the warm lemon syrup, whisking to combine.
7 Pour into ramekins
Decant the posset into a jug, to make for neater pouring, then divide between four small ramekins – unsurprisingly, given the cream content, posset is quite rich, so you don’t need much. Drop each ramekin on to the counter from a small height, to knock out any bubbles (if you’re feeling very cheffy, pass a blowtorch over the top, too, which also helps get rid of any bubbles on the surface).
8 Chill the possets
Leave to cool, then chill for at least a couple of hours, until set – unless your fridge is completely odourless, I’d recommend covering the ramekins or putting them in a sealed container, so they don’t pick up any other flavours during this time. Toast the almonds in a dry pan, until golden, then sprinkle over the possets, along with the candied peel (or extra lemon zest) to serve.
9 Variations on the theme
This is a perfectly adaptable recipe: seville oranges, say, would be a delicious substitute for lemons, as indeed would other citrus, though you may need to adjust the amount of sugar for sweeter varieties. For a slightly more substantial dessert, pair with shortbread or another small, crunchy biscuits (almond are nice), or top with a scattering of fresh or defrosted berries, along with the nuts.