Lime posset has to be one of the easiest and quickest desserts to make.
With just 3 ingredients you can make this silky, creamy and tangy dessert that everyone will love.
It's a delicious dessert that can be make in advance and it's really refreshing too. This makes it perfect for entertaining, when you have served rich main course.
Enjoy.
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❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Made in minutes.
- Only 3 ingredients.
- Light and refreshing.
- Make in advance.
- Perfect for entertaining.
🤔FAQs
A posset is an old English dish, dating from the 15th century.
Initially, it started it started as a warm drink, of milk or cream that was curdled with lemon juice of alcohol.
Typically, it was given to invalids or after an illness, as it was easy to digest.
By the 19th century, citrus fruits were more widely available and lemon posset became popular as a cold, set dessert, rather than a drink.
It is very similar to an English syllabub or Scottish flummery in that it is a milk based dessert or milk pudding that have always been popular.
When I was growing up I had never heard of lemon posset. It wasn't until 'Come Dine with Me' became a popular programme that I knew of its existence.
The menus often featured lamb tagine and lemon posset and now, having made it, I know why the dish has become so popular today.
It's a bit like having a lime sorbet as a palate cleanser and a creamy dessert all in one, so it is absolutely perfect for entertaining.
This recipe makes 4 very generous portions or 6 regular ones. It would also be great served in shot glasses as a mini dessert at parties. Either way, this is probably one of my favourite desserts.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Limes - pick limes with a shiny skin that are fairly ligh in colour. In my experience these tend to be juicier. As you will be eating the zest the limes should be unwaxed.
- Sugar - golden caster sugar, also known as bakers sugar. This is just finer sugar than granulated that is less refined. It helps to give the lime poset a creamier colour.
- Cream - double or heavy cream.
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post.
🍽 Equipment
- small saucepan
- zester or microplane grater
- juicer - I just have an old glass one
- sharp knife
- 4 or 6 serving dishes
- whisk
- measuring jug
🔪 Instructions
Start by preparing the limes.
Zest 3 of the limes then slice them in half and juice them.
This should make about 75 - 80 ml or juice. You may need an extra lime.
💭 Top Tip
- When zesting use the grater gently to take off only the green part. The white pith has a bitter taste.
- If the limes are hard it may be difficult to extract the juice. You can encourage this by rolling them on a hard surface for a few minutes.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Put the sugar and cream in a saucepan over a low to medium heat.
Whisk to dissolve the sugar.
When the cream comes to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Add the juice and lemon zest and whisk well to disperse the zest evenly.
The mixture will instantly thicken.
Pour the liquid into serving dishes. If your saucepan doesn't have a lip you may find it easier to transfer the lime posset to a jug first.
Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Take out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving.
I like to garnish the possets with extra zest or thin slices of lime.
You could also use grated dark chocolate or toasted coconut.
🥗 Serve with
Serve with a delicious biscuit on the side for dunking and munching.
- Sable Biscuits
- Shrewsbury Biscuits
- Viennese Finger Biscuits
- Chocolate and Macadamia Shortbread
- Boudoir Biscuits
- Cornish Fairings
- Chocolate Mendiants
- Sacristains Pastries
🥙 Substitutions
- Caster sugar - use granulated sugar.
📖 Variations
- Lemon - use 75 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice and garnish with coconut and lemon zest or white chocolate.
- Orange - use any type of orange, such as mandarins or blood oranges, and decorate with orange segments and grated milk chocolate.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Cover the dish with cling film to stop a skin from forming.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Make the lime posset a day before serving if you are entertaining.
More dairy desserts like this
- Devonshire Junket
- Creamed Rice Pudding
- Chocolate Rice Pudding
- Cranachan
- Butterscotch Tart
- Macaroni Pudding
- Flummery
- Lemon Syllabub
📋 Recipe
Lime Posset
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Whisk
- serving dishes
- jug
- microplane grater or zester
- Juicer
Ingredients
- 75 ml lime juice about 3 limes
- 600 ml double cream heavy
- 150 g caster sugar
To garnish
- 1 lime zest or thin slces
Instructions
- Zest 3 of the limes then slice them in half and juice them. This should make about 75 - 80 ml or juice. You may need an extra lime.
- Put the sugar and cream in a saucepan over a low to medium heat.
- Whisk to dissolve the sugar.
- When the cream comes to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Add the juice and lemon zest and whisk well to disperse the zest evenly. The mixture will instantly thicken.
- Pour the liquid into serving dishes. If your saucepan doesn't have a lip you may find it easier to transfer the lime posset to a jug first.
- Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
- Take out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving.
- I like to garnish the possets with extra zest or thin slices of lime.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article
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- Apple and Fig Crumble45 Minutes
🍲Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?
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Helen
I love lemon posset but have never tried it with lime - this looks delicious! Will have to give it a go 🙂
Tara
Oh how delicious! I've made lemon posset, but haven't tried lime posset before. This looks fantastic.
Mahy
One of the easiest lime possets I have ever seen. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe!
Carrie Robinson
I love just about anything with fresh lime in it! This dessert sauce sounds amazing. 🙂
Holly
This recipe was simple and delicious. My favorite kind of recipe. Reminiscent of key lime pie without all the hassle.