By the time New Year arrives you are bound to feel food fatigue — both in the making of, and the eating of… the thought of another heavy dessert is intolerable. So, let’s consider a posset — light and delicious and so easy to make it’s ridiculous.
Posset is a dish with a 600-year history! Shakespeare mentions possets several times in his writings, in the Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 5, Scene 5 for example:
Yet be cheerful knight: thou shalt eat a posset tonight at my house; Where I will desire thee to laugh at my wife
Originally the posset was a dessert or drink made from curdled milk enriched with sugar and alcohol (the most popular being sack, a sweet ale similar to sherry). Today, the posset has morphed into a light and lemony delight.
Posset
- 2 1/4 cups 35% heavy cream
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp lemon juice (plus 1/2 tsp grated lemon grind)
Bring the cream and sugar to a boil at medium high heat, and stir. Boil for exactly 3 minutes, stirring continuously.
Take the sugar and cream mixture off the heat. Add lemon juice and rind. Cool for 10 minutes. Stir one last time and pour equal amounts into 6 dessert containers. Cover and chill for at least 5 hours, or overnight.
Take out 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 servings.
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