Tart London: How to make Basil and pink grapefruit posset with cardamom and pistachio shortbread

Posset dates back to the 1500s, when it was a drink of milk boiled with alcohol, usually wine or ale, which curdled before spice and sugar was added. Today we know it as a decadent, creamy dessert, traditionally flavoured with lemon. The citrus reacts with the cream when heated, solidifying naturally without the addition of gelatine.

In the winter we like to make a blood orange posset, which is a pretty pink colour. We serve it with a squeeze of orange juice on top and macadamia brittle for crunch. Last year we were obsessed with making the perfect rhubarb posset, deciding that the best way to intensify the flavour was to juice the rhubarb stalks and reduce the liquid by simmering. We also used honey instead of sugar, which means it was more a rhubarb cream than a posset — but delicious anyway.

To us, basil smells of summer. We love making strawberry and basil ice cream when strawberries are really ripe. The herb also works wonderfully with other fruits — raspberry sorbet, or pineapple with chilli, lime and mint — and it’s perfect with citrus juices in cocktails, especially a margarita.

This is a very quick and easy dessert. We often make it when we realise we haven’t prepared a pudding and there are people coming for supper, as it always sets in time. If you’re in a tearing rush, the posset can be done and dusted within a few minutes. If you have time to spare, we suggest making something crunchy to go with it, such as cardamom and pistachio shortbread. This recipe will create more cookies than needed for the dessert but that’s the point, as you’ll have them to look forward to the next day with a cup of tea.

Basil and pink grapefruit posset with cardamom and pistachio shortbread (Makes 4 Ramekins)

Ingredients:

For the cookies

125g butter, softened

60g icing sugar

190g plain flour, sifted

2 tsp freshly ground cardamom

Handful of pistachios, shelled and chopped

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp coconut or demerara sugar

For the posset

400ml double cream

100g caster sugar

Seeds of ½ vanilla pod

Bunch of basil

Juice of 1 pink grapefruit

Edible flowers, to serve

Method:

To make the cookies, beat the butter and the icing sugar together until pale. Fold in the flour, cardamom, pistachios and salt to form a dough. Roll into a log shape, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for a couple of hours or until firm. Heat the oven to 180C. Take the dough out of the fridge and slice thinly. Sprinkle with your sugar of choice, place on an oven tray and bake for about 10 minutes till nicely golden. Leave to cool.

To make the posset, place the cream, sugar, vanilla seeds and basil in a pan and bring to a light boil, simmer for 3 minutes, take off the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes. Remove the basil leaves and stir in the grapefruit juice. Pour into ramekins, place in the fridge and leave to set (usually a couple of hours). Squeeze over a little grapefruit juice, decorate with edible flowers, and serve with cookies on the side.