Lemon Posset: Recipe and Cooking Tips

Posset is a creamy dessert that originated in England as a remedy for various illnesses. The earliest posset recipes only contained liquor and curdled cream. However, by the sixteenth century, posset had evolved into a tastier dessert. Contemporary posset is a cream-based confection featuring heavy cream, sugar, and lemon with a texture between a lemon pudding and a mousse. The sugar and cream cook together, then firm up in the refrigerator, meaning this dessert doesn’t need any gelatin to set.

Serve the dessert in individual bowls or ramekins topped with fresh berries and whipped cream.

Posset is a piquant, gluten-free lemon dessert, perfect for Easter brunch or a dinner party. Here are some ways to spruce it up:

1. 1. Keep it smooth. If bubbles form along the surface of the posset, simply tap the ramekins against the kitchen counter. The bubbles will burst, leaving a smooth surface.
2. 2. Stick to fresh fruit. Use fresh lemon juice in this recipe rather than store-bought. Since there are so few ingredients in the recipe, you’ll taste the difference.
3. 3. Add other kinds of citrus and aromatic flavors. Customize lemon posset by featuring different citrus fruits or adding spices. Meyer lemons are less acidic than regular lemons, so the citrus juice they yield can be a bit sweeter. Oranges also have flavorful zest (in addition to their sweet juice), making them another great substitute for lemon. Add a bay leaf or crushed cardamom pod to the cream for more warmth and depth of flavor.
4. 4. Serve with other sweets. Top the dessert with whipped cream or ice cream—or garnish it with fresh fruit, such as ripe raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries. For textural contrast, serve your lemon posset with crunchy shortbread cookies for dipping.
5. 5. Make a lemon posset tart. You can easily transform a basic lemon posset into an elegant tart. Using a prebaked shortbread crust or graham cracker crust as a base, simply pour the posset mixture in and chill until firm. Decorate the set tart with edible flowers, slice, and serve.
6. 6. Make lemon cheesecake. Instead of using lemon curd to flavor your next cheesecake, chill a layer of lemon posset over plain cheesecake for an added tang.