Granny’s Lemon Posset
Although the family always referred to this as Granny’s Lemon Posset, I think she actually pinched it from Eliza Acton’s Cookbook of 1845. The addition of serving little Florentine biscuits with it, however, had the Granny Hodges Touch! Lemon Posset is very rich so serve in small white china ramekins. The advantage is it is so simple to do and can be done ahead. Many of Eliza Acton’s recipes have been rediscovered and are very good indeed – Quince Marmalade, Bakewell Pudding and an excellent Christmas Pudding with Hot Punch Sauce. Luckily recipes such as To Boil Cods’ Sounds and Stewed Lettuces have remained in obscurity.
LEMON POSSET:
Put the cream and the sugar in a pan large enough to allow it room to boil. Bring to the boil and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon
juice slowly. Strain the mixture into a jug before pouring into tiny ramekins. Let them cool, then leave in the fridge for 4 - 6 hours before serving. Serve with
almond and orange florentines.
ALMOND AND ORANGE FLORENTINES:
Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Line a baking tray with silicone paper and
lightly grease with vegetable oil. Mix all the ingredients together by hand. Using a wet hand make little mounds of the almond mix on the tray. Space these well
apart. Dip a fork in water and flatten each biscuit until very thin.
Place in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes. Until golden brown. Leave to
cool and harden before removing from the tray.
Makes about 16
Theo Hodges
Theo Hodges was born in Kent. After a degree in Graphic Design she joined J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency as an Art Director working on accounts such as Rowntrees, Kraft and The Butter Council. While she was at University in Perugia, Italy she started collecting recipes from friends and family. In 1980 she set up her own design agency: Theo Hodges Design Consultants. For many years when they were young Theo, her sister and six cousins used to spend vacations at her Grandmother’s Victorian vicarage in Kent. ‘The thing about remembering childhood’ she says, is ‘there’s a whole lot of oblivion, and then out of it something floats up, quite sharp and clear. Many of the meals I can still see vividly and various recipes of mine were originally from Granny’s kitchen. ‘The kitchen garden was stuffed with raspberries, huge red dessert gooseberries, strawberries, runner beans, peas and much more with the hens in a shed at the back. But Granny only ate chicken breast and runner beans, followed by raspberries and Jersey cream - and therefore so did we. When raspberries were out of season, and in those days the season was much shorter, Granny made Victoria sponge cakes sandwiched with cream and home-made raspberry jam. On this limited but delicious diet we all thrived’. Theo’s mother was an excellent cook as well, and had been taught by the house- keeper at their house in Mougins, South of France. And once rationing was withdrawn in England in 1952 and good, fresh ingredients became available again, she amassed an enormous number of recipes which has formed the basis for Theo’s collection of family desserts.