Nigel Slater's Lemon Posset (A 3-Ingredient Lemon Pudding to Swoon Over)

Given my love for all things lemony and for panna cottas and other puddings, Lemon Posset is the best 3-ingredient dessert that I can think of. I make it whenever the craving for lemon (or other citrus--tangerines are lovely in posset too) strikes and I always marvel at how simply and almost magically just a few ingredients come together to make a creamy sweet and tangy treat. 

Posset is a recipe that has been around for centuries (here's a great Guardian post on its history) although previously in the form of a warming drink of milk curdled by alcohol or citrus juice but in modern times it has become a cold pudding of thick, rich cream (which certainly sounds more appealing to me!)

Since we are focused on lemons this week for I Heat Cooking Clubs Monthly Featured Dish/Ingredient Challenge, I decided to make Nigel Slater's classic Lemon Posset from his book Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard. 

Slater says, "Whenever I am making this classic dessert, I always wonder if there will be enough--it looks such a small amount in the saucepan. Yet once it is poured into glasses and left to set, you realize that it is so rich and lemony that a small amount is all that is required. Pleasing as it is in unadorned simplicity, I do think it is the perfect accompaniment for raspberries, mulberries, or loganberries. A crisp cookie such as a brandy snap could be useful here too."

A lemon posset for raspberries, mulberries, and the like
From Ripe by Nigel Slater
(Makes 4 small cups or glasses)

heavy cream--2 cups (500 ml)
superfine sugar--3/4 cup (150 g)
lemon juice--5 Tbsp (75ml)

Put the cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat so the mixture doesn't boil over and let it bubble enthusiastically for about 3 minutes, stirring regulalrly.

Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and leave to settle. Pour into four small wine glasses or cups and leave to cool. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Notes/Results: Mmm... just Mmm... is about all that is needed to describe this lemony bliss. I love that the lemon is definitely present but not so much that you don't also taste the lovely cream too. Very smooth, light and delicious and a good balance of sweet and tangy. I like to serve it in my favorite espresso cups as the 1/2-cup serving fits well and I like the pale yellow against the bright blue. As Nigel says, you really don't need any accompaniment, but it is definitely great with the fresh raspberries and I also had some leftover lemon wafer cookies that were perfect for dipping into the creamy pudding. I will definitely make this again.

On a side note, under other favorite Nigel Slater lemon desserts, Nigel's Limoncello Syllabub is wonderful. It's more of a fuss than posset but if you like mousse or pillowy clouds of whipped cream goodness, I highly recommend it! 

 
It's our Monthly Featured Dish/Ingredient Challenge this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs and the theme is Lemons!--any recipes featuring lemons or other citrus fruit from our current or any of our past IHCC Featured Chefs. You can see what lemony goodness people made by clicking on the picture links on the post. 

I'm also linking this post up to the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.