Perfect Lemon Posset (2024)

FAQs

Why won't my lemon posset set? ›

If you don't cook it for at least 5 minutes, the posset won't set to a thick and creamy texture. Use fresh squeezed lemon juice: Squeeze the lemons yourself to get the freshest, tangy lemon flavor. Chill until set: Lemon posset needs at least a few hours in the fridge to set for a thick and creamy texture.

My posset won't set. If you're finding even after hours in the fridge, your possets are still not set, then try removing the mixture from their ramekins, putting it in a jug and pouring in some cold double cream – stirring as you go. You should see the mixture instantly thicken, so go easy on how much you pour in.

If your lemon posset has split, it may be due to a few factors. One common reason is overheating the cream mixture, causing the fats in the cream to separate from the liquid. It's important to heat the cream gently and avoid bringing it to a rapid boil.

Sugar, dissolved into the cream before the acid is added, encourages the cream to thicken evenly. Posset recipes don't vary much, because too much sugar will throw the ratio of acid to dairy off. Adding too much sugar makes an overly sweet posset, but if you don't add enough it will taste like cream that's gone sour.

Why is my Lemon Curd not set? The most common reason Lemon Curds is not set is because it has not been cooked long enough to thicken the egg yolks. Lemon Curd needs to be cooked over medium-low heat for about 5-10 minutes until the curd reaches 170 degrees F in order for it to thicken.

A custard with both eggs and starch needs to be thoroughly cooked. The reason is that yolks contain an enzyme which liquidifies starch. It doesn't happen outright, but will happen while your tart is cooling. The only way to prevent it is to heat the mix high enough so the enzyme is deactivated.

If you have either not enough buffers (fat and sugar) or happen to have an extraordinarily sour lemon, you will get curdling. The recipe I linked also suggests partly evaporating the cream, which will be further help against curdling, but it should work without it too.

Whereas panna cotta uses gelatin to thicken and set, posset relies entirely on the citric acid found in lemon juice and other citrus fruits.

Citric Acid Makes Any Juice Possetable

When working with tiny amounts of powerful ingredients, he explained, precision is paramount. It's especially crucial for posset, in which small deviations in pH can ruin the flavor and/or texture. To make the solution, I dissolved 20 grams of citric acid in 30 grams of water.

Divide the mixture evenly between 8 individual ramekins or serving glasses. Refrigerate, uncovered, until set, at least 3 hours. Once chilled, possets can be stored in a carton with a lid (or wrapped in plastic wrap) and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

Why does lemon juice thicken condensed milk? ›

Lemon juice thickens condensed milk in the same way it would "thicken" regular milk, i.e., by curdling. Basically, milk has two general types of proteins: casein and whey.

It was time for the secret weapon: lemon juice. Turns out, the acidity of the juice acts as a thickening agent, which reacts with the proteins in the dairy to increase the viscosity. It's a similar concept to adding vinegar to milk to make buttermilk, said Clark.

Elizabeth Raffald listed six different posset recipes in The Experienced English Housekeeper (1786), and English Housewifery (1789) by Elizabeth Moxon included several recipes, including one flavored with lemon like today's viral version.

Sugar doesn't chemically neutralize the acid in lemons; rather, it competes with the sour flavors for your taste sensations, which can make the overall flavor seem less sour.

Tips: Before you add the acid, stir the milk so that the milk is moving when you add the acid. Don't stir the milk after you add the acid. Turn off the heat and wait up to 15 minutes for the curdle. It doesn't happen immediately.

Like someone else said, curdling is more of an acidity issue so don't add the cream directly to anything like lemon juice or vinegar. If you must add both to a recipe, add the acid first, let it get distributed throughout your dish so it's essentially diluted, and then add the cream while stirring.

Curdling in lemon curd can occur if the mixture is heated too quickly or if the eggs are cooked at a very high temperature. But there are certain ways to fix curdled lemn curd. Usually, in case of a light separation of liquids, there's a good chance it can be fixed.

So when lemon juice which contains citric acid is added to milk, the positive hydrogen gets attracted towards the negative micelles and they are neutralized. Thus, all the micelles will now come close together and aggregate together to form a gelatinous material called curd.