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!
Units
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 60 grams granulated sugar (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 tablespoons yuzu juice
Instructions
- Add the cream and sugar to a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly until the sugar is fully melted.
- Turn off the heat and quickly stir in the yuzu juice. When the mixture starts to thicken, pour the custard into 4 ramekins or small glass jars.
- Chill in the refrigerator until set.
nandita says
Love the sound of it. Wont the cream split when i add the citrus juice? Cant wait to try!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Nandita, I was kind of surprised too, but it does separate like milk does. I think this must have to do with the high fat content (or low water content) of cream.
nandita says
Thank you! shall surely try this with lemons 🙂
Cliff says
Hiya Marc, I made this last night with Meyer lemons, and it was delicious! Perfect texture. So simple. I love your blog, so many great recipes to choose from. Keep up the good work!
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks Cliff, glad to hear you enjoyed it. Great choice on the Meyer lemons!
Debbie Lowe says
Wow, super simple and delicious! I used Yuzu juice on my first batch and then tried it with calamansi juice (I bought a dwarf tree at our Farmer’s Market a few years ago) both were good! Thanks!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Debbie I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it. I haven’t tried it yet with Calamansi, but I can just imagine how good it would be.
Sanaa says
Hi Marc, where can I buy Yu I juice
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Sanaa, without knowing where you live it’s hard to say, but try a Japanese grocery store.