Seville Orange Posset

 

Fresh from our recent experience with Mr. Gosling ("Where my stitches at?"), I hope you are all enjoying the seasonal delights of the Seville orange. 

If you didn't find any, or didn't even know they were in season, well, it might be too late for you. If that is the unfortunate case, please make a note for next year.

The Seville orange is prized for a great many culinary reasons, and into these I will not go. Know only that I, as well should you, like to use them in the same way that one would a lemon. This means juiced into salad dressings, sliced in a gin and tonic (don't even get me started on that, it's literally unbearably delicious, and I can bear quite a lot of that sort of thing) and squeezed over grilled fish. 

Given their short availability (so annoying - it's like boyfriends and girlfriends: you always want the ones who aren't available), I have stashed some bags of sliced Sevilles in t'freezer and also a few bags of their juice and zest. These precious sachets are expressly for the purposes of posset making.

 

You see, lemon is all fine and well, but sometimes we need variety. And here it is.

I do feel slightly ghastly to be posting this knowing that the Seville season is basically over now, but ending on a negative note will never do. Let us try for a more positive envoi. Here goes.

I recently made this for dessert when we had some friends over (to watch Brideshead Revisited. Yes, really.). It went over rather well, and then one of them mentioned that we'd given him posset before. Devastated, I sought immediate clarification that we hadn't. (I can't bear the thought of giving people the same thing twice.)

'Oh no,' our guest replied. 'I'm getting confused. That was a meal we once had at Chatsworth.'

Ten out of ten, boys. Ten out of ten.

Seville Orange Posset

You will need:

600ml double cream
130g sugar
3 Seville oranges, juice and grated zest only

1. This is so simple as to barely require instruction. Heat the cream and sugar together slowly until boiling. Boil for 3 minutes.
2. Cool.
3. Add juice and zest, whisk until slightly thickened. Pour into glasses and chill for 4 hours or so. Serves 6 - 8 people.