Although similar to a syllabub, posset is much richer because it is more like a custard than a cream. Possets were served in ceramic posset pots, which looked a bit like a teapot with two handles. They were usually very decorative and extremely expensive to buy. This dish is therefore one of a high standard. Posset was originally more of a drink than a pudding and was often given to people in rich households when they were feeling unwell.
My Lord of Carlisle’s Sack-Posset
Take a pottle of Cream, and boil in it a little whole Cinnamon, and three or four flakes of Mace. To this proportion of Cream put in eighteen yolks of eggs, and eight of the whites; a pint of Sack; beat your eggs very well, and then mingle them with your Sack. Put in three quarters of a pound of Sugar into the Wine and Eggs, with a Nutmeg grated, and a little beaten Cinnamon; set the Bason on the fire with the Wine and Eggs, and let it be hot. Then put in the Cream boiling from the fire, pour it on high, but stir it not; cover it with a dish, and when it is settlede, strew on the top a little fine Sugar mingled with three grains of Ambergreece, and one grain of Musk, and serve it up.
Sir Kenelm Digby, The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened, 1669.
The Recipe
Makes 8–10 posset pots or teacups
850ml (29 fl oz) thin (pouring) cream
1 cinnamon stick
1 mace blade
6 egg yolks
3 egg whites
230ml (7¾ fl oz) sherry or Madeira (for an alcohol-free posset, use orange or lemon juice)
100g (3½ oz) raw sugar
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer with the spices, then remove from the heat.
Whisk the egg yolks and whites in a clean saucepan, then pour in the sherry (or juice, if preferred) and sugar. Put the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly; do not let it boil. Turn down the heat and pour the cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat.
Pour the mixture into pots or teacups and rest for a couple of minutes. Serve with a spoon while still warm or chill in the fridge if you prefer.
Pride and Pudding: The History of British Puddings Savoury and Sweet by Regula Ysewijn is published by Murdoch Books, £20. To order a copy for £16, go tobookshop.theguardian.com or call the Guardian Bookshop on 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min. p&p of £1.99.
