Lemon-Buttermilk Posset
On March 27, 2026 by Christy LarsenNo big story about why or how or who, but I needed a dessert by noon; at 9 am, I didn’t want to turn on the oven, and I wasn’t enthusiastic about anything ticking through my brain. We are an ingredient household, so I had options on hand. My single desire was to make something that matched the warm spring day on the horizon. When I am in a crunch like this, I must admit, I lean into the Brits….inspiration for days… when it comes to simple desserts.
Had I meringue on hand, I would have done an Eaton Mess, but I didn’t, so I went with Posset. It had been years (almost 20) since I last made one…I won’t make that mistake again.
Several weeks ago, a neighbor gave me a bag of lemons that are nearing their useful end. A half-gallon of buttermilk is gathering dust in the fridge door; I can’t even remember why I bought it in the first place. Combining the two in this custard-like treat gave the dessert a multi-layered tartness you wouldn’t get if you used only one or the other. A note: buttermilk doesn’t have the same reaction as heavy cream with heat and lemon–I urge that you don’t exceed the ratio I have used here.
Lemon-Buttermilk Posset
makes 4-6 servings2 cups heavy cream
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cups granulated sugar
zest of two lemons
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2/3c+1 Tbs lemon juice
In a saucepan combine cream, buttermilk, sugar, lemon zest and salt. Bring to a simmer and let it vigorously simmer for at least 10 minutes. Allow it to reduce a bit, but don’t allow to caramelize. Remove from heat when you can see space between the “fill line” when you first put the pan on the heat, and the current top of the liquid. Stir in the lemon juice.
Give it another minute or two and pour into serving vessels. I like to use a champagne coupe..or pretty small cup/glass.
Refrigerate for a few hours. This is best served on the same day it is made.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream or complimentary jam.
Buttermilk Biscuits
On October 30, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerWhen I was in high school what we called“the roach coach”, rolled up come lunch-time. It was selling all sorts of delicious read really unhealthy food stuffs. Once a week it stopped at KFC; loading up on chicken and biscuits. I would queue
for the length of our lunch break, for those biscuits. Big, fluffy & buttery, they were just the nutritious lunch i needed (ha ha). Those days are long gone. Roach coaches are now gourmet eateries. And i am much more discerning in my biscuit adoration.
Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups flour-plus more for kneading
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bakewell cream
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
5 Tbs unsalted butter–cold & cut into small squares
1 cup buttermilk–cold + more for brushing tops
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Using your fingers or a pastry knife to cut in the butter, allowing for both pea size and smaller pieces of butter. Do not overwork, you want the butter to stay relatively firm and cool. Quickly add in the buttermilk and stir to create a moist dough. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface and press into a rectangle. Do not saturate in flour, but also use enough to prevent sticking. Bring the short ends of the dough in, folding into thirds. Give the dough a quarter turn and press or roll again into a rectangle. Fold into thirds. Repeat 2 more times, using enough flour to keep dough from sticking. After the final turn, roll the dough into a 3/4″ rectangle. Use a biscuit cutter to make rounds, or for simplicity, cut evenly into squares. Brush top of each biscuit with buttermilk, and place on a lined baking sheet. I like to place my biscuits fairly close together, so they bake together a bit. It gives it a little softness around the edges. If that is not your thing, make sure you have at least 1 1/2″ separation when placing in pan. Bake at 400F for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.