Lemon Posset: Refreshing 4-Ingredient Summer Dessert
Lemon posset is having a moment. Chances are you’ve stumbled upon this stunning dessert served in hollowed-out lemon shells while scrolling your social feeds. But posset is more than just a showstopper in front of the camera (seriously, does a more photogenic dessert exist?). This smooth, creamy, and tangy delight can be whipped up in minutes using a few simple ingredients (just give it time to set). Look good? Wait until you taste it!
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Spoon
- Bowl
- Grater
Ingredients
- 500 ml (2 cups) Heavy cream
- 100 g (½ cup) Lightly packed light brown sugar See note 1
- 75 ml (5tbsp) Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Lemon zest
- Vanilla bean paste 1 inch-sized piece
Instructions
- Heat the cream, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla. On medium-high heat, bring the cream, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla to a boil. Stir occasionally, making sure the cream doesn’t burn and the sugar fully dissolves. Once the mixture begins to boil, drop the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Remove the cream from the heat.
- Stir in the lemon juice immediately.
- Let the mixture cool. Leave the mixture to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Pour into hollowed-out lemon shells or your serving dish of choice (see note 2)
- Refrigerate. Refrigerate for between two to four hours, ideally overnight.
Notes
- You have a few options with the sugar. Plain, granulated sugar is the classic choice, but I've also used raw, granulated cane sugar with great results. In this version, I used lightly packed, light brown sugar. Light brown sugar has a lower molasses content so you get an incredible depth of flavor that balances out the tart lemon, but without overpowering the fresh, citrus flavor. Whatever sugar you use, just make sure it fully dissolves in the cream. If substituting plain granulated sugar or raw cane sugar for light brown sugar, use a one-to-one ratio.
- Optionally, you can strain out the lemon zest before pouring the mixture into serving dishes.