Orange Posset (Creamy, Dreamy Dessert)
Orange posset is the stuff that dreams are made of. Creamy and luxurious, rich yet refreshing, it’s the easiest, most delectable dessert you’ve never heard of. This 5-ingredient orange posset uses citrus juice as the thickening agent to strike the perfect balance between a pudding and a custard. It’s a stunner that’ll wow you and anyone else who tries it.
What Is Posset?
Posset is properly retro. So old-school that it has actually been around since the days of Shakespeare. A classic British dessert, the posset was originally a hot beverage made with milk, which curdled with the addition of alcohol, such as wine or ale. It was then typically spiced with nutmeg or cinnamon.
Today, posset is a cold dessert. Commonly made with English double cream, posset is much thicker than the hot beverage of yesteryear. The primary thickening agent is citrus juice, whose high acidity causes the proteins in the cream to bond with each other.
Lemon is the most common posset variation – make sure to check out my lemon posset next! But if you’ve got oranges on hand, their juice is a delicious alternative!
This orange posset uses heavy cream instead of English double cream. Here in Belgium, double cream isn’t always available. But heavy cream – between 35-40% milkfat – gets the job done. If you can’t find heavy cream, one substitute that I’ve had success with is mascarpone. A super silky Italian cream cheese, mascarpone’s milk-fat percentage is high – in the 44% range, which is what you want for a posset.
How to Serve Orange Posset
Not unlike a custard or a pudding, you can serve orange posset in a variety of dishes, dessert glasses, ramekins, or my favorite way – in the hollowed-out rinds of the oranges themselves. There’s just something incredibly satisfying, almost primeval, about eating food directly out of its natural vessel!
A small portion is ideal because of the posset’s exceptionally rich texture and mouthfeel.
What Does Orange Posset Consist of?
Posset is shockingly simple. In its most basic form, it contains just three ingredients:
- Heavy cream
- Sugar for texture and sweetness
- Citrus juice as a thickening and flavor agent
The orange posset from this recipe ups the stakes slightly, adding fresh vanilla specks for a sumptuous yet refreshing treat.
What’s the difference between Posset and Custard or Panna Cotta?
Posset, custard, and panna cotta each have specific setting agents and cooking methods. Custard relies on egg protein to thicken, while panna cotta uses gelatin. Possets, meanwhile, rely on the acidity from citrus juice, which causes the proteins in the cream to bond with each other.
The posset mixture needs to be heated and, once the acid-induced coagulation has occurred, chilled in the refrigerator. As it cools, the bonded proteins solidify further, setting the posset into a thick, creamy dessert.
How long does Posset last in the fridge?
Like custards and puddings, posset that has been cooked properly should last between 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Mine never do, though, because I can’t keep my hands off of them!
Orange Posset Recipe
Here’s the recipe for Orange Posset. Don’t forget to comment below and give me a rating. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Orange Posset (Creamy, Dreamy Dessert)
Ingredients
- 500 grams (2 cups) Mascarpone
- 125 grams (½ cup) Sugar see Recipe Note 1
- 1 Orange juiced and zested approx. 80 ml or ⅓ cup juice, 1 tablespoon zest
- ½ Lemon juiced approx. 30ml or 2 tablespoons
- Vanilla bean paste 5 cm or 2 inch-sized piece with the specks scraped out
Instructions
- Boil cream, sugar, and orange zest. In a small pot, over medium-high heat, bring the cream, sugar, and orange zest to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the cream starts to boil, drop the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring continuously so it doesn’t burn. Keep a close eye on it and adjust the heat as needed so the cream doesn’t boil over.
- Stir in the vanilla bean specks. (see Recipe Note 2)
- Remove from heat and stir in citrus juice. Remove the mixture from the heat. Stir in both the lemon and orange juice and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Strain mixture. Stir the mixture again and pour it through a sieve into another small pot to strain out any citrus pulp and zest. (see Recipe Note 3)
- Pour the mixture into your serving dishes of choice.
- Chill the possets. Place the possets in the refrigerator and let chill for a minimum of 3-4 hours, but ideally overnight.
Notes
- In this recipe, I used raw, granulated cane sugar. I’ve used white, granulated sugar with the same results and even lightly packed, light brown sugar in my lemon posset. Regardless of the sugar you choose, use a 1:1 ratio.
- To up the vanilla flavor slightly, add the scraped-out vanilla pod to the cream mixture while it’s boiling.
- If you prefer the orange zest in your posset, skip straining the mixture.
- If you’re using hollowed-out orange rinds to serve your posset, hollowing them out takes some time, so expect a slightly longer preparation process. All said and done, my orange posset (served in orange rinds) take about an hour to make.
