Lemon thyme posset and langues de chat

If you want to brighten up a dish, the citrus family is your answer. It’s also the magic ingredient in curdling cream for delicately set possets like this one.

Yum: lemon thyme possets with langues de chat. Picture: Guy Bailey

When life gives you lemons, make dessert. If you’re looking to brighten up a dish, the citrus family is your answer: lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruits will supercharge the aroma of a dish with their fragrant juice and zest (even lemon thyme, which is actually a mint, is useful here). The squeeze of a citrus cheek just before serving will give that extra zip of acidity to lift flavour. Acid’s awesomeness doesn’t stop there – it’s also the magic ingredient in curdling cream for delicately set possets like this one.

Lemon thyme posset

100g caster sugar

600ml thickened cream

2 sprigs lemon thyme (optional but excellent)

2 teaspoons citrus zest

125ml citrus juice

Heat the sugar, cream and lemon thyme sprigs (if using) together in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil for 3 minutes. Switch off heat and leave to cool and infuse for 10 minutes; pull out the thyme sprigs, then stir through the zest and juice. Pour into a serving dish or 4-6 serving glasses and leave to set in the fridge overnight. Bring out of the fridge 10 minutes before serving to take the chill off. Serve with fine biscuits, home-made or store-bought. Serves 6

Langues de chat (Cats’ tongues)

120g butter, softened

120g icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg (room temperature)

60g plain flour

Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan) and prepare a baking tray with baking paper. Cream butter and sugar with vanilla and a little pinch of salt to a white fluffy consistency; add egg and beat until well combined. Fold in flour, then scrape dough into a piping bag fitted with a round 1cm nozzle (see tips). Pipe 7cm lengths onto the prepared baking paper 2cm apart (no more than 3 widthways, as they do like to spread) and place in the middle of the oven to cook for 10-16 minutes, until flattened and golden at the edges. If you want to give your tongues a feline curl, slip the still warm biscuits off the baking tray and wrap them over a rolling pin. Transfer onto a baking rack to cool completely.

Top tips

No piping bag? Transform a zip-lock bag by snipping off a 1cm corner and approximating squeezes as close in size and shape to each other as possible

Possets can be flavoured with all manner of citrus, as well as anything zippy like raspberries, passionfruit or mango.

Boozy splashes of liqueurs or bubbles also work, and even milk chocolate

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