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These five ingredients make a spectacular sweet treat

With its origins as a medieval drink, there’s something almost like alchemy in the way the lemon works its natural magic on the cream.

Deliciously old-fashioned and simple: Lennox Hastie’s lemon posset. Photo: Nikki To / TWAM
Deliciously old-fashioned and simple: Lennox Hastie’s lemon posset. Photo: Nikki To / TWAM

Lemon posset is a dessert that’s deceptively simple but utterly transformative. You take cream, sugar and lemon juice – just three ingredients – and you end up with something that’s silky, tangy and just the right amount of sweet. With its origins as a medieval drink, there’s something almost like alchemy in the way the lemon works its natural magic on the cream, transforming it from liquid silk to a set custard with nothing more than citrus juice. No gelatine, no eggs, no fuss, just the purity of lemon, cutting through the richness with its tart brilliance. It’s the kind of simple dish that reminds you why you love food in the first place.

Try too my mozzarella baked on lemon leaves recipe.

Lemons are life. Photos: Nikki To / TWAM
Lemons are life. Photos: Nikki To / TWAM
Swet temptations.
Swet temptations.

Ingredients

  • 500ml cream
  • 100g sugar
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • Zest and juice of 2 lemons (about 70ml of juice)
  • Candied lemon strips, to garnish
  • Rosemary flowers, optional

Method

  1. In a saucepan combine the cream, sugar, lemon zest and rosemary sprigs. Heat gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Bring it just up to the boil, allowing the flavour of the lemon zest and the rosemary to infuse into the cream.
  2. Remove from the heat and discard the rosemary sprigs. Add the lemon juice and stir well to combine. You will notice the cream thickening slightly as the lemon juice reacts with the cream. Pour the mixture into serving glasses or ramekins, dividing it evenly.
  3. Place the possets in the fridge to chill and set for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
  4. Garnish each posset with some strips of candied lemon and some rosemary flowers.

Serves 4

Lennox Hastie
Lennox HastieContributing food writer

Lennox Hastie is a chef, author of Finding Fire and owner of Firedoor, an acclaimed wood-fuelled restaurant in Sydney, NSW. Hastie spent his career working at Michelin Star restaurants in the UK, France and Spain, and later featured on Netflix series Chef’s Table. Find his recipes in The Weekend Australian Magazine, where he joins Elizabeth Hewson on the new culinary team.

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/these-five-ingredients-make-a-spectacular-sweet-treat/news-story/76cb7b7e1efbefef49e43f2bfcfb4aab