How To Make A Posset
WTF is a posset? Good question! And it is important to know the answer to this question because knowing how to make a posset is a good thing. How to make a posset isn’t exactly need to know, but it is a nice to know for those “I need an easy dessert” times. A posset is one of those desserts that is old school and kind of forgotten about. It never really made an entrance on the USA stage probably because we just skipped over it and went right to the puddings, panna cottas, custards and creme brûlées. This is a real shame because it is really a great dessert.
How To Make A Posset – An Acid Set Cream
A posset lies somewhere in between all those other desserts who use different ingredients – gelatin, eggs, or starch – as agents to set the cream or milk in them. A posset uses acid as the setting agent. Possets are acid set creams. This makes citrus flavors perfect posset making foundations. Like a pudding, a posset is not something that is thick enough to stand up on its own so it is served in a bowl or other vessel.
How To Make A Posset – The Classic Lemon
The most classic posset is the lemon posset. Of course, orange, lime, or grapefruit possets are equally possible. The acid in citrus is strong enough to set cream without issue. Since I am a lover of lemons, although the possibility of a grapefruit-star anise posset raises my eyebrows, it makes for a good starting point and it is perfect blog fodder. Plus, lemon and cream go nicely together so it is not like we are missing out by serving up the classic.
How To Make A Posset – Simple Steps To A Great Dessert
So, how do you make a posset? It is easy. Cream and sugar (and perhaps a dash of vanilla) are simmered gently. Lemon juice is whisked into to the cream mixture off the heat. The mixture is ladled into serving containers and cooled in the fridge. That is it. The beauty with a posset it that you can tweak the sugar and lemon to taste. If you like it bright and really lemony – almost bracing – lower the sugar a little or increase the juice. If you like it more creamy, reduce the juice a little and, if you wish, increase the sugar. A posset is something you should definitely have your way. Me, I like it on the lemony and bright side!
How To Make A Posset – Flavors and Garnish
As discussed, you can do all variety of flavors with your posset. Instead of using vanilla, a little almond extract can also be used. I prefer to serve a classic lemon posset with almond cookies or lady fingers. It is nice to have something to dunk into a posset because it is a little soft and really quite nice for dunking. And who doesn’t like a dessert that involves dunking? Sure, you can also just garnish with some nice berries. Either way, it is sure to be a dessert everyone will love.
The how to make a posset video is below and the full recipe follows.
- 2 cups of heavy cream
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1 tbsp of lemon zest
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- In a medium sauce pan, whisk the cream, sugar, vanilla and zest together. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear rapidly at the edge of the cream mixture. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk the cream for one minute. Slowly drizzle the lemon juice into the cream mixture while whisking.
- Ladle the mixture into six serving dishes. Let the possets cool on the counter then cool completely and set in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or over night.
- If you like it less lemony, reduce the amount of juice by ¼ cup or increase the sugar.
- Serve with almond cookies, lady fingers and/or fresh berries.
- The posset will not firmly set, so it should not be unfolded from the serving containers.
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Have you ever made a posset? What flavor?Let us know in the comments or on Facebook.
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Can you use citric acid powder? How much per quantity of cream? And then add to it any kind of flavor drop?
Thank you
Tried it with 6 table spoons lemon juice (from concentrate) plus 2_table spoons lime juice (from concentrate) total 100 ml.
130 gm caster sugar topped when firm with pomegranate seeds. Worked but not as good as fresh lemon juice without the lime juice.