A classic summer dessert…with an historical flavor
It may be September 1, it’s not too late to enjoy a few more summer desserts! While the words “history” and “dessert” don’t often go hand in hand, one of my favorite summer desserts is one that originates from 15th-century England. Forget whatever you may have heard about British cooking, this one will blow your mind! St. Clement’s Posset is one of the oldest and simplest desserts to make. Using just cream, sugar, and a curdling agent (not as scary as it sounds), it was once thought to be medicinal. (Or, in the case of Lady MacBeth, it was the perfect vessel for poison…Yikes…Let’s hope the FSB stays away from their Shakespeare.) Ye olde recipes used wine or ale as the curdling agent, but in modern times, as citrus fruit became more widely available, people began making it with citrus fruit.
Today, the most popular version—St. Clement’s Posset—combines cream, sugar, and lemon juice and zest. It takes its name from a British nursery rhyme, which begins, “‘Oranges and lemons,’ say the bells of St. Clement’s,” perhaps referring to a church near a London port where citrus fruit was brought ashore. (Despite the rhyme, I think lemons give a superior flavor.) My favorite recipe comes from London baker Justin Gellatly, which I found a few years ago in a fantastic WSJ article by Aleksandra Crapanzano. (Coincidentally, she is married to one of my favorite novelists, John Burnham Schwartz, who has also written about the daughter of an Allied leader, Svetlana Stalin, in The Red Daughter! The Daughters of Yalta connections are everywhere!)
The recipe, as written in the article, could not be easier:
1 pint heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1½ lemons, plus juice from 2 lemons
Zest of 1 orange, plus juice from 1½ orange (I like things that are really tart, so I actually like to leave this out and stick with lemon alone, it’s delicious and so summery and refreshing)
Slowly bring cream, sugar and citrus zest to a boil over medium-low heat. Immediately reduce heat to low and let slowly simmer to infuse cream, 3 minutes. Do not let cream boil.
Strain citrus juices into a mixing bowl. While whisking, pour infused cream into juice and continue whisking until combined. Pour posset into four teacups or small glass containers (like ramekins). Chill, uncovered, in the refrigerator 1 hour, then cover with plastic wrap and continue chilling until set, at least 3 hours and up to 6 hours.
Eat with a spoon—or use some delicious Scottish shortbread as your spoon for an extra treat!
Enjoy!
CGK
(Photo cred: WSJ article linked above, photo by James Ransom)
