Pronounced PAH-suht, this easy-to-make dessert is mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays Hamlet and Macbeth. Modern-day posset tends to be thicker than it was in the days of the bard, is consumed cold or at room temperature rather than warm, and features citrus rather than spirits. The Wedgwood Tea Room’s version is laced with cardamom and served with Pistachio Meringues. Its saintly moniker has origins in a nursery rhyme, however: “ ‘Oranges and lemons,’ say the bells of Saint Clements.”
Saint Clements Posset
Makes 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups English double cream*
- 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons caster sugar**
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- Pistachio Meringues (recipe follows)
- Garnish: strawberry halves
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange 6 (3-ounce) ramekins on prepared baking sheet.
- In a small saucepan, combine cream and cardamom. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; discard cardamom pods. Stir in sugar, lemon zest, orange zest, and orange juice. Divide mixture among prepared ramekins. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Just before serving, top with meringues and garnish with strawberries, if desired.
Notes
*English double cream is similar to heavy whipping cream but has a higher fat content. It is not the same as clotted cream. If English double cream is not available, heavy whipping cream can be used.
**If caster sugar is not available, extra-fine sugar can be used.
**If caster sugar is not available, extra-fine sugar can be used.
Pistachio Meringues
Makes 24
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- ¾ cup caster sugar*
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon very finely chopped roasted pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225°F. Using a permanent marker or a pencil, draw 1¾-inch circles, 1-inch apart onto 2 parchment paper sheets (12 per sheet). Place parchment paper, drawn sides down, on 2 rimmed baking sheets.
- In the top of a double boiler, cook together egg whites, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar. Cook over simmering water, whisking constantly, until sugar dissolves and egg whites are warm to the touch, approximately 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk at high speed until mixture is glossy and very stiff peaks form, approximately 5 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch round piping tip. Holding piping tip perpendicular to baking sheets, pipe batter into drawn circles on parchment paper. Apply pressure, leaving tip stationary, until batter just reaches drawn circle. To prevent points from forming on top, move and lift tip in a quick circular motion as you finish piping each meringue. Sprinkle with pistachios.
- Bake meringues until exteriors become dry and slightly crisp, 1¼ to 1½ hours. Turn oven off, and let meringues stand in oven with door closed for 2 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature and serve within a week.
Notes
*If caster sugar is not available, extra-fine sugar can be used.
