Lemon and Elderflower Posset with Shortbread Thins
Lemon and Elderflower Posset is the taste of summer captured in a refreshing dessert. A smooth and creamy dessert with sweet floral hints and a touch of tang. Perfect for BBQs and alfresco dining on warm summer nights.
Contents
Here Comes The Sun
Elderflower brings me so much joy. For just a few short weeks in June it’s delicate, creamy flowers burst open. Unveiling the elder’s full beauty and delicious scent, signalling the arrival of summer.
I’ve always loved the flavour of Elderflower and was pleasantly surprised to see it in garden when we first moved in. It was one of the first produce I started to experiment with and gave me the idea for The Delectable Garden.
When it come to infusing, Elderflower, is different to most flowers and herbs. It tastes as good as it smells in bloom. Homemade elderflower cordial is a good way to capture the flavour. I’ve made it every year since we moved in and I use it to make elderflower curd.
My Lemon and Elderflower Posset is made with a homemade elderflower syrup (recipe included below). Elderflower syrup can also be used to add a sweet floral hint to cakes and cocktails. I brushed the elderflower syrup over a lemon cake before adding the drizzle. I also add 15ml of syrup to a gin and tonic with a dash of lemon.
Sweet Tooth
I have a huge sweet tooth. No meal is complete without a desert. In winter I crave chocolate, caramel and fudge desserts. In summer I love lighter cakes, pastries, meringue with fruits and cream. This Lemon and Elderflower Posset with Shortbread Thins is the perfect end to a summer meal in the garden.
Lemon and Elderflower Posset is made with just 4 ingredients and is quite possibly the easiest desert you will ever make. Simply stirring cream, sugar, lemon and elderflower syrup together to create a thick and smooth dessert that’s sharp yet sweet in flavour.
The shortbread thins to accompany the Lemon and Elderflower Posset are also simple and delicious, so simple and delicious it’s dangerous! The recipe is a good base to experiment with. You could try adding lemon zest, lavender flowers or some chocolate chips.
It’s time to enjoy the sunshine and capture the taste of summer before it disappears. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and Facebook when you use my recipes.
Lemon and Elderflower Posset with Shortbread Thins
Lemon and Elderflower Posset
Ingredients
Lemon and Elderflower Posset
- 300 ml double cream
- 90 g caster sugar
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 30 ml homemade elderflower syrup or cordial see elderflower syrup recipe below
Shortbread thins
- 75 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 50 g unsalted butter, cubed chilled
- 25 g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
Instructions
Lemon and Elderflower Posset
- Gently heat the cream and sugar in a pan, stiring frequently until the sugar has melted. Bring to a simmer and allow to boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the elderflower syrup and lemon zest and juice.
- Pour into 4 small glasses or ramekins. Cool to room temperature before covering and placing in the fridge for 3 hours to set. These can be made the day ahead and kept in the fridge overnight.
Shortbread Thins
- Heat the oven to 170C/ 150C fan/ gas 3.
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl. Rub through your finger tips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, then squeeze together to form a dough. It may appear to be dry at first, do not add water to form a dough.
- Place the dough on a lightly flour a worktopse. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle thats 1/2 cm thick. Cut 8 equal rectangle pieces of dough and place on a lined baking tray. I try to cut out the 8 pieces of dough in one go, over working your dough will impair the texture of your biscuit. I bake the off cuts of dough, broken buscuits still taste as good!
- Create uniform imprints using a fork and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until golden. Allow the shortbread thins to cool on the baking tray and serve two fingers with each Lemon and Elderflower Posset. The Shortbread Thins will keep in an airtight container for 3 days.
Notes
Homemade Elderflower Syrup
Homemade Elderflower Syrup
Ingredients
- 240 g granulated sugar
- 200 ml water
- 8-10 elderflower heads
- zest of 1/2 – 1 lemon
Instructions
- Shake the elderflower heads to remove dirt/dead flowers and set to one side.
- Heat the sugar, water and lemon zest in a large pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has melted and the mixture reaches boiling point. Allow to boil for one minute.
- Remove from the heat and submerge the flower heads in the syrup. The flowers should just be covered and the stalks should be sticking out. Leave the flowers to infuse the syrup for 10 minutes.
- Pour through a fine sieve and store in a sterile bottle in the fridge for up to a month.
Notes
Forage safely. If you aren’t 100% sure, don’t eat it! Some plants, flowers and mushrooms can be highly poisonous when consumed.
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Here is how to sterilise bottles and jars.
Enjoy,
Lee
