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Orange Posset with Shaved Bittersweet Chocolate

By Annie Petito

Published on June 5, 2023

Time

35 minutes plus 3 hours 20 minutes cooling and chilling

Yield

Serves 6

Orange Posset with Shaved Bittersweet Chocolate

Ingredients

Citric Acid Solution

20 grams citric acid 30 grams water

Posset

1 tablespoon grated orange zest plus 6 tablespoons juice2 cups heavy cream ⅔ cup (4⅔ ounces/132 grams) sugar Shaved bittersweet chocolate

Before You Begin

This dessert requires individual serving cups. Citric acid is also sold as “sour salt”; look for it in the spice aisle or near the canning supplies. (Do not confuse it with “crystallized lemon” products, which contain other ingredients.) Reducing the cream mixture to exactly 2 cups creates the desired consistency. Transfer the liquid to a 2-cup heatproof liquid measuring cup once or twice during boiling to monitor the amount.

Instructions

    for the citric acid solution

  1. Combine citric acid and water in medium bowl and stir until acid is completely dissolved. Transfer solution to airtight container until ready to use.
  2. for the posset

  3. Combine ½ teaspoon citric acid solution and orange juice in small bowl; set aside. Combine cream, sugar, and orange zest in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Continue to boil, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar. If mixture begins to boil over, briefly remove from heat. Cook until mixture is reduced to 2 cups, 8 to 12 minutes.
  4. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in orange juice mixture. Let sit until mixture is cooled slightly and skin forms on top, about 20 minutes. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into bowl; discard zest. Divide mixture evenly among 6 individual ramekins or serving glasses. Refrigerate, uncovered, until set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days (if chilling for more than 3 hours, cover each ramekin).
  5. When ready to serve, uncover possets, if needed, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Garnish possets with chocolate shavings and serve.
Orange Posset with Shaved Bittersweet Chocolate
Photography by Beth Fuller. Styling by Catrine Kelty.

Orange Posset with Shaved Bittersweet Chocolate

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Time

35 minutes plus 3 hours 20 minutes cooling and chilling

Yield

Serves 6

Ingredients

Citric Acid Solution

20 grams citric acid
30 grams water

Posset

1 tablespoon grated orange zest plus 6 tablespoons juice
2 cups heavy cream
⅔ cup (4⅔ ounces/132 grams) sugar
Shaved bittersweet chocolate

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Citric Acid Solution

20 grams citric acid
30 grams water

Posset

1 tablespoon grated orange zest plus 6 tablespoons juice
2 cups heavy cream
⅔ cup (4⅔ ounces/132 grams) sugar
Shaved bittersweet chocolate

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Citric Acid Solution

20 grams citric acid
30 grams water

Posset

1 tablespoon grated orange zest plus 6 tablespoons juice
2 cups heavy cream
⅔ cup (4⅔ ounces/132 grams) sugar
Shaved bittersweet chocolate

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Our lemon posset recipe has always been very popular. The rich and silky British dessert is easy to make and calls for only cream, lemon juice, and sugar. The right proportions of ingredients are key to a smooth, luxurious consistency, and for an optimally dense, firm set, we reduce the cream-sugar mixture to 2 cups to evaporate some of the water before adding the juice. A properly set posset also depends on the specific pH of lemon juice, which is about 2.6. To make posset using other types of fruit juices, such as orange, grapefruit, and pineapple, which have a higher pHs, we needed to use citric acid to increase their acidity. Making a citric acid and water solution was the most foolproof way of incorporating the potent powder. Pairing each new fruity flavor of posset with a different topping gave the desserts textural contrast.

Want more? Read the whole story

Before You Begin

This dessert requires individual serving cups. Citric acid is also sold as “sour salt”; look for it in the spice aisle or near the canning supplies. (Do not confuse it with “crystallized lemon” products, which contain other ingredients.) Reducing the cream mixture to exactly 2 cups creates the desired consistency. Transfer the liquid to a 2-cup heatproof liquid measuring cup once or twice during boiling to monitor the amount.

Instructions

    for the citric acid solution

  1. Combine citric acid and water in medium bowl and stir until acid is completely dissolved. Transfer solution to airtight container until ready to use.
  2. for the posset

  3. Combine ½ teaspoon citric acid solution and orange juice in small bowl; set aside. Combine cream, sugar, and orange zest in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Continue to boil, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar. If mixture begins to boil over, briefly remove from heat. Cook until mixture is reduced to 2 cups, 8 to 12 minutes.
  4. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in orange juice mixture. Let sit until mixture is cooled slightly and skin forms on top, about 20 minutes. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into bowl; discard zest. Divide mixture evenly among 6 individual ramekins or serving glasses. Refrigerate, uncovered, until set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days (if chilling for more than 3 hours, cover each ramekin).
  5. When ready to serve, uncover possets, if needed, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Garnish possets with chocolate shavings and serve.

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