For many years, one of my usual desserts at supper parties was a lemon mousse. It's a wonderful dish, airy and tart, but it's complicated and slightly tricky to make, and it serves a lot. Leftovers were never a problem (except that they disappeared behind my back), but I'd often wished for something easier and with a small yield.
And then, Food 52, a great foodish website, brought me this. Food historians would probably argue that this isn't technically a posset, which was milk curdled with wine or other fermented beverage in the days of Merrie England. But it's close, and my guess is it's tastier.
In fact, this is wonderful. Despite its elegantly pale color, this is a big-flavor dessert, creamy and tart. Not low calorie, of course, although I often make it with Splenda, calculating how much I need for the equivalent amount of sugar. It works just fine, by the way. Because I like my lemon desserts pretty tart, I tend to put in slightly less than the official amount of sugar, perhaps one or two tablespoons less. Do not, however, try this with anything but the full-fat cream. It doesn't set well. And when you're buying the cream, try to find the kind that is not marked "ultra-pasteurized". It ups the wow factor considerably.
A few berries on top, or perhaps a few grains of cinnamon can be a garnish, or whipped cream with a strip of candied lemon peel. But it'll look fine sitting unadorned in those bright-colored espresso cups you got for a wedding present.
LEMON POSSET
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar (or Splenda equivalent see above)
5 Tablespoons lemon juice
Using a small saucepan over high heat, stir together the cream and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Bring the cream to a boil, drop the heat a little so the mixture doesn't boil over, and let it boil or at least cook at a high simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let stand to cool about 5 minutes.
Pour into four ramekins. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set.
Serves 4.