An Easy, Prairie-Inspired Recipe for Sea Buckthorn and Thyme Posset

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.

Sea Buckthorn and Thyme Posset

Serves 6

Ingredients

Sea Buckthorn Juice

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

Main

• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup Sea Buckthorn Juice
• 1-inch 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

Note: If using the Sea Buckthorn Juice, the posset will be noticeably tart. You can add 1 Tbsp of granulated sugar to the juice to balance this out if desired, but regardless, the end result will still be a tasty one!

Directions

Juice

To a small pot, add the berries and water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place a medium fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and add the soft- ened berries. Press gently with the back of a large spoon or cocktail muddler to extract as much juice as you can from the berries. The pulp that remains can be discarded.

Store the juice in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 month. Shake before use.

Main

To a large pan, add the granulated sugar, Seabuckthorn Splash, ginger, and thyme. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium- high heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes to let the aromatics infuse. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl and discard the ginger root and thyme sprigs.

Place the cream and salt in a medium pot over medium-high heat and heat until just about to simmer, 4–5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and let the cream cook, stirring frequently to keep from scalding, for 5 minutes. Add the sea buckthorn mixture to the pot and stir. The contents of the pot will appear notably thickened. Continue to cook while stirring for about 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and divide the mixture between six ramekins or small heat-safe bowls. Let sit until back at room temperature and then place uncovered in the fridge to cool and set, approximately 4 hours.

When ready to serve, remove the posset from the fridge and top with a few sea buckthorn berries and thyme. The 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.

Excerpted from Prairie by Dan Clapson and Twyla Campbell. Copyright © 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.

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