One of my favorite ways to celebrate winter's citrus season (aside from this fermented lemonade) is to make Citrus and Honey Posset.
Posset is an old-fashioned dessert - a cross between custard and whipped cream. Smooth and silky, you eat it with a spoon for dessert. In this version, you'll skip the sugar in favor of honey and use two kinds of citrus fruit for a beautiful, bright tartness.
Why You'll Love It
You only need a few ingredients: citrus, cream, and honey.
It's easy to make. Start by cooking cream and honey with citrus zest, turn off the heat, stir in the juice, and then let it set overnight. That's it.
Cream, especially grass-fed cream, is packed with micronutrients - especially vitamins A and K. Citrus is loaded with vitamin C and powerful antioxidants - like hesperidin and quercetin which help calm inflammation.
Ingredients + Substitutions
Citrus gives the possets their bright, tart flavor. But it performs another function, too. It helps them set properly. I use Satsuma oranges and Meyer lemons in this recipe, but you can also make posset with grapefruit, limes, clementines, and oranges.
Heavy cream provides a delicate, smooth texture. Look for grass-fed cream for the best flavor and highest nutrient density. Avoid creams with additives such as carrageenan.
Honey adds sweetness. Orange blossom honey is particularly delicious in this recipe if you have access to specialty honey. You can also swap sugar for honey.
Tips for Making Posset
Heat the cream until tiny bubbles appear (about 180 F or 82 C). Heating the cream helps the posset to set.
Avoid the white pith when grating the citrus peel. The pith will make your possets taste bitter, while the brightly colored zest enhances the citrus flavor.
Refrigerate the possets overnight. While they can set in as little as 3 hours, allowing them to set for at least 8 hours ensures they'll have the right texture.
More Citrus Goodness
Love winter's citrus? Here are some of our favorite citrus recipes.
Love this recipe? There's more.
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Recipe Questions
No. This recipe works because the acid in citrus juice curdles the milk, causing it to set. Since dairy-free milk lacks the protein structure of real cream, it won't set properly.
Yes and no. You can use raw cream, but you still must heat it to 180F. Heating the cream changes the protein structure so that the possets set properly.
No. Posset needs the high fat content of heavy cream to set correctly.
Alena says
This was absolutely lovely. Kind of like an orange creamiscle or panna cotta?
Britt says
This came out perfect. Almost like the filling of a lemon meringue pie, but creamier.