Recipe

September 6, 2023

Sea Buckthorn and Thyme Posset

Recipe: Dan Clapson

“This little-known, age-old dessert has British roots and is an absolute breeze to make. The combination of hot cream, an acidic liquid, and a little sweetener is nothing short of magical. Posset is traditionally made with lemon, but here the juice of intensely tart sea buckthorn berries makes for a great—and very Prairie—substitution. Sea buckthorn berries can be found in the wild, of course, but because of their trees’ sturdy root systems, they became a favourite of farmers to plant as shelter belts for crops. Last but not least, sea buckthorn adds a striking hue to the completed dessert.” – Dan Clapson

Ingredients

Sea Buckthorn Juice (1 cup)

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen sea buckthorn berries
  • 1 cup water

Sea Buckthorn and Thyme Posset

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup Sea Buckthorn Juice (see above)
  • 1″ piece ginger root, peeled
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2¼ cups heavy (35%) cream
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • Fresh sea buckthorn berries, for garnish
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

Directions

Yield: Serves 6

Make Sea Buckthorn Juice

  1. To small pot, add berries and water and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.
  2. Place medium fine-mesh sieve over bowl and add softened berries. Press gently with back of large spoon or cocktail muddler to extract as much juice as you can from berries. The pulp that remains can be discarded.
  3. Store juice in jar in fridge for up to 1 month. Shake before use.

Make Sea Buckthorn and Thyme Posset

  1. To large pan, add granulated sugar, Seabuckthorn Splash, ginger, and thyme. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and let mixture steep for 10 minutes to let aromatics infuse. Strain mixture through fine-mesh sieve into medium bowl and discard ginger root and thyme sprigs.
  2. Place cream and salt in medium pot over medium-high heat and heat until just about to simmer, 4–5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let cream cook, stirring frequently to keep from scalding, for 5 minutes. Add sea buckthorn mixture to pot and stir. The contents of pot will appear notably thickened. Continue to cook while stirring for about 1 minute.
  3. Remove from heat and divide mixture between six ramekins or small heat-safe bowls. Let sit until back at room temperature and then place uncovered in fridge to cool and set, approximately 4 hours.
  4. When ready to serve, remove posset from fridge and top with a few sea buckthorn berries and thyme. Posset can be made up to 5 days in advance. If being made in advance, cover with plastic wrap until you’re ready to garnish and serve.
Source:

Excerpted from Prairie by Dan Clapson and Twyla Campbell. © 2023 Dan Clapson and Twyla Campbell. Photographs by Dong Kim. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved