Lemon Posset with Shortbread Fingers

• 600 mldouble cream
• 150 gcaster sugar
• 100 mllemon juice
• 150 gplain flour
• 50 gcaster sugar, for shortbread
• 2small pinches salt: 1 for the posset and 1 for the shortbread
• 100 gunsalted butter, softened
• Finely grated lemon zest (6 g)

Method

1. 1Tip the double cream and 150g caster sugar into a wide, heavy saucepan over a medium heat. Stir gently until the sugar dissolves and the cream looks glossy, about 3 minutes; wide pan matters here, because the cream needs surface area to boil without climbing the sides.
2. 2Bring to a rolling boil and let it bubble for exactly 3 minutes, stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn't catch. Watch it like a hawk; cream goes from rolling to over-the-top in seconds. The full 3 minutes is what reduces and concentrates the cream so it sets later; cut it short and you'll have soup.
3. 3Pull off the heat and stir in 4 g of the lemon zest and all the measured lemon juice. You'll feel it thicken almost immediately as the acid hits the hot cream; that's the set beginning. Taste it: it should be sharp, sweet, and rounded. A tiny pinch of salt here lifts the lemon and stops the sugar tasting flat.
4. 4Divide between 6 glasses or ramekins, pouring through a fine sieve if you want it glassy-smooth. Cool uncovered for about 30 minutes, then chill for at least 3 hours, until set to a soft, trembling wobble; firm at the edges, just-quivering in the middle.
5. 5Meanwhile, heat the oven to 170°C fan. Beat the softened butter and 50g sugar with a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. You're not whipping air in; you're working the sugar into the butter so the shortbread bakes short and sandy, not greasy.
6. 6Work in the flour and the remaining small pinch of salt until it comes together into a smooth, slightly crumbly dough. Don't skip the salt; without it the shortbread tastes of nothing but sweet butter. Press together with your hands; stop the moment it holds.
7. 7Roll between two sheets of baking paper to 1 cm thick. Cut into 12 fingers about 2 cm wide and 6–8 cm long. Lift onto a lined baking tray with a little space between each.
8. 8Bake for 15–18 minutes, until pale golden at the edges and sandy-pale on top. They'll feel soft coming out of the oven; leave them on the tray to cool and firm up; that's when the crunch sets.
9. 9Serve each chilled posset with two shortbread fingers and a little of the reserved 2 g lemon zest.

Per serving

kcal

810

protein

4.5g

fibre

0.8g

carbs

56.3g

fat

61.4g