LEMON POSSET

2 lemons
Sugar or syrup
Brandy
1 pint cream
Bit of orange-peel

Squeeze the juice of two lemons into a China bowl, or small deep dish, that will hold a quart; sweeten it like sirup, add a little brandy; boil one pint of cream with a bit of orange-peel; take out the peel, when cold, put the cream into a teapot, pour it to the sirup, holding it high. Make it the day before it is wanted.

From The Cook's Own Book by "A Boston Housekeeper" (Mrs. N. K. M. Lee) Boston 1832

Comment: This is sort of a cross between a syllabub (see other recipes) and a pudding. To "sweeten [something] like sirup" is to add as much sugar to the lemon juice as it will absorb and still be liquid. The resulting posset should be stored in a lidded container, to protect it from insects, and in the coolest available part of the room, but not refrigerated during the resting period.

Return to Recipe Index