Last year we planted a little Meyer lemon tree at the south side of our house by a sheltered wall.
There had been a citrus bush there when we moved to the house, so we knew one could grow outside, but it hadn’t survived the recent snowy winters. This winter on the other hand has been extraordinarily mild, so we were rewarded with a bumper crop of lemons from our new baby.
Sssssh all of you folks in California, stop laughing. Words cannot explain how proud we were of the little Meyer Lemon Tree That Could. This is the frozen North after all.
For those of you in the UK, Meyer lemons are an intriguing fruit, which I had never come across before moving here. Thought to be a cross between a traditional lemon and a mandarin, they are softer, sweeter, less acidic and a slightly deeper yellow than a traditional lemon, and therefore highly prized for dessert making within their short season. Meyer lemons can be replaced by traditional lemons whenever you see them in a recipe.
Anyway, I wanted a recipe where my one tiny lemon would be the feature ingredient rather than being an afterthought and was given a simple and but glorious one by a lovely Facebook friend.
This is deceptively simple but utterly delicious. Your next dinner party is crying out for this dessert.
A posset is a traditional English dessert where cream is heated and then slightly curdled by the application of an acid, such as lemon juice or wine, so that it sets. The infusion of rosemary adds an intriguing savoury undertone that marries perfectly with the lemon.
Ingredients
Serves 4
2 cups (approx 500 ml)) heavy/double cream
2/3 cup (90g) organic sugar
1 sprig fresh rosemary
5 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice or any fresh organic lemon juice
Method
Bring the cream and sugar to boiling point in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the rosemary. Remember that the boiling point of cream is much lower than that of water, so take care that it doesn’t boil over.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the lemon juice and stir and allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes. Remove and discard rosemary. Pour into 4 ramekins or glasses.
Chill until set, about 4 hours.
Hey, Paola…lovely photos. I especially like the colour of the bowls in contrast to your posset. Incidentally, by double cream, I’m guessing it’s 35% (whipping cream)?
First of all, I am jealous of your lemon. We have had no luck what so ever with lemons and we have some huge trees which I have come to loathe.
Second of all, this is the second posset reference I have seen this week. Was there a posset pinterest board that I completely ignored? I am dying to make some now. I’ll have four lemons which I was going to use for something more heart healthy – preserved lemons, but who knows.
BTW, I made more marmalade.