A posset is really a cooked cream dessert very popular in gastropubs and the best alliance to the iconic shortbread. For me, this is a marriage made in British heaven and one of my favourite dessert.
I made this last sunday for my niece Antonia to go with the fennel seeds shortbread I had brought for Christmas and I knew she liked… I was thrilled to discover it is such a quick and easy pudding to make and it is definitively going into my favourites’ repertoire. This recipe is from the wonderful Tangerine Dream Cafe in The Chelsea Physic Gardens where they serve incredibly creative and quirky dishes using lots of the plants and flowers available all around the kitchen. I am a particular fan of their Lavender scones and ginger bread for tea…
Ingredients list: Serves 6
For the Posset:
- Double cream, 500 ml
- Caster sugar, 125g
- Juice and finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons (I recommend Amalfi lemons still seasonal and so fragrant it’s untrue)
For the Shortbread:
- Butter, 250g
- Golden or caster sugar, 110g Plus for sprinkling
- Plain flour, 250g
- Fine semolina, 110g
- Crushed fennel seeds, 1 tsp
For the posset:
Place the cream and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3 minutes.
(5 minutes at 80 in the Thermomix works well too)
Stir in the lemon juice and zest and leave to cool.
Pour into sundae cups or martini glasses and decorate with edible flowers : pansies or nasturtiums are soon in season! I also use dry edible flowers bought on a stall in Borough Market.
For the shortbread:
Beat the butter in a mixer until creamy then add the sugar, followed by the flour, semolina and crushed fennel seeds.
Mix until it forms a smooth dough then roll out onto a floured surface and cut out shapes.
Place on a baking parchment or silpat sheet on a rack and bake for up to one hour at 150º. Watch so the edges do not colour too much. The cookies need to be still a bit soft on coming out as they will harden when they cool and you want a crumbly and slightly chewy texture. Sprinkle with a bit of caster sugar before they cool down.
This is a fresh and delicious pudding, perfect for a spring lunch al fresco!