Yuzu Posset

As much as the British are maligned for their food, they make some of the best desserts. Amongst my favorites are the Summer Berry Pudding, the Eton Mess, and then of course there’s the Posset. If you’ve never heard of a Posset, don’t feel too bad, I managed to go almost 40 years without knowing about this divinely delicious dessert that could also qualify as one of the easiest desserts you can possibly make. I’m talking boil-cream-and-sugar-then-stir-in-lemon-juice easy. The combination of the heat and the acidity of the yuzu juice causes the cream to set into a rich, silky-smooth custard that melts as it hits your tongue.

Seriously, that’s all there is to this recipe, so you can stop reading now and go make yourself some, or you can hear me out for some ideas on all the other desserts you can make, using this technique. While it’s impossible to call a confection made with cream and sugar healthy, it’s certainly healthier than an equivalent custard that’s set using egg yolks.

I used yuzu juice to set this posset because I love the fragrance, but any tart aromatic citrus such as key lime, calamansi or even lemons will work beautifully. I’ve also been thinking that this might work with tart combinations such as strawberry rhubarb, and blackberry lemon, but I haven’t given this a try yet. You could even theoretically do this with a non-dutched cocoa powder and something like raspberries to make a chocolate raspberry pudding.

Because the posset doesn’t fully set until it’s chilled in the fridge, this opens up some fun and exciting dessert possibilities. Imagine a how much easier you could make a key lime pie using this method, or spreading this Yuzu Posset into the center layer of a cake, or filling a piping bag with it and squirting it into the center of a donut!!! Ohhh the possibilities!