Lemon Posset Recipe - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

Why didn't my lemon posset set? ›

If you don't cook it for at least 5 minutes, the posset won't set to a thick and creamy texture. Use fresh squeezed lemon juice: Squeeze the lemons yourself to get the freshest, tangy lemon flavor. Chill until set: Lemon posset needs at least a few hours in the fridge to set for a thick and creamy texture.

How long does lemon posset last? As long as the lemon posset is kept in the fridge it can last up to three days. You can even freeze lemon posset – just make sure to defrost for several hours before serving.

Lush but light, lemon posset is a creamy dessert that sidesteps all of the usual requirements of a custard. It contains no eggs nor starch nor gelatin.

In 14th and 15th century cookery manuals, a possibly-related word, spelled variously "possenet", "postnet", or "posnet", is used to mean a small pot or saucepan. In 16th-century and later sources, possets are generally made from lemon or other citrus juice, cream and sugar. Eggs are often added.

My posset won't set. If you're finding even after hours in the fridge, your possets are still not set, then try removing the mixture from their ramekins, putting it in a jug and pouring in some cold double cream – stirring as you go. You should see the mixture instantly thicken, so go easy on how much you pour in.

Add a cornstarch slurry: First, ensure your curd is cooked to 170 degrees F and if it still hasn't thickened, whisk 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.

Posset relies on the acid of the lemon to do that job, as it slightly curdles the cream. It's a very clever way to do this and it doesn't take long to assemble, you just need sufficient time for it to set in the fridge.

Syllabub was essentially the same as a posset with two big differences: 1) It was thicker, more like a custard, and 2) was served cold. Because they were cold, syllabubs could be served in delicate glass pots without any fear of the glass cracking. The different types of syllabubs are based upon their mixing style.

So, what is lemon posset (pronounced paa·suht)? It originates from Great Britain and goes back a few hundred years as it started as a warm drink. Milk was curdled with ale, cider or sherry and was said to have restorative properties. One fun fact that I learned was that possets were mentioned in Shakespeare's plays!

Posset 4 mg/500 mg/5 mg Tablet helps relieve symptoms of cold and flu such as headache, sore throat, runny nose, muscular pain, and fever. It may cause dizziness and sleepiness.

What does posset mean? ›

Meaning of posset in English

a sweet food made from milk or cream with other things such as sugar, lemon, or wine added to it: For dessert we had lemon posset.

noun. : a 2-handled usually covered and spouted vessel used especially in the 17th and 18th centuries for possets and invalid feeding.

From Middle English posset, possot, possate, poshet, posthot, of unclear origin. Perhaps from Welsh posel. A connection to Latin pōsca (medieval/dialectal poscada) has also been suggested.

It is basically “curdled cream”. A creamy custard like pudding, made with heavy cream, sweetened with sugar, flavored with lemon zest and “curdled” with lemon juice. Make sure you strain the mixture to ensure it is extra smooth and creamy.

To thicken un-set posset: take out the serving dishes and put it in a jug then add some cold double cream stirring as you do so, it should instantly thicken, so you shouldn't need much, it's not an exact science so just add enough until you get the thick consistency you want, pour it back into your serving dishes and ...

If the meringue mixture becomes flat or runny when the sugar is added then it usually means that the egg whites were not quite whisked enough before the sugar was added. It sometimes helps to whisk the whites, then add a tablespoon of sugar and whisk the whites back to medium peaks before adding the rest of the sugar.

When lemon is added to milk, it curdles or becomes grainy. However when added to cream which contains a greater amount of fat, the effect is different. The lemon juice acidifies the cream and the fat helps the mixture thicken instead of curdling creating this smooth creamy consistency.

If you have either not enough buffers (fat and sugar) or happen to have an extraordinarily sour lemon, you will get curdling. The recipe I linked also suggests partly evaporating the cream, which will be further help against curdling, but it should work without it too.