Lemon Posset Brûlée
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: 6-12 people
- 400ml/14flozs cream (double or thickened)
- 130g/4.6ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 60mls/2.1flozs lemon juice
- 6 lemons (depending on size of lemons).
- 1 teaspoon of raw or demerara sugar per lemon half
Step 1 - Finely grate the zest of 1 lemon into a large jug and set aside. Then cut all of the lemons in half lengthways. Using a citrus reamer gently juice the lemon halves collecting the juice in a bowl and strain and set aside. Then remove all of the flesh from inside of the lemon. How easy this is depends on the actual lemon as some give up the insides easier than others. This is the most time consuming part. Place the lemon halves in a friand or cupcake tray.
Step 2 -Heat the cream and sugar in a small heavy bottomed pot and stir to prevent the sugar catching at the base of the pot. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat and wait for 2 minutes. Take the jug with the lemon zest and pour the hot sweet cream into this jug. Then add the lemon juice very slowly stirring the cream the entire time. Pour the lemon cream into the lemon halves. Place them in the fridge for 4 hours.
Step 3 -Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of raw or demerara sugar on top of each lemon half evenly. Using a blow torch on medium high heat pass it over the sugar back and forth and the sugar will quickly caramelise.
Step 4 -If you're not going to brulee the lemons straight away then cover with parchment and then cling film and then brulee just before you are ready to serve them. The toffee stays crisp for an hour or so and you can keep it at room temperature for that time (unless it is very hot).