I could get all sciencey about it, but it’s similar to how yoghurt is made. Except, instead of having bacteria eating the sugars (lactose) and producing lactic acid, you add the acid yourself! The acid lowers the ph of the cream, which changes the structure of the protein strands, allowing them to hold more water. Originally, I was taught that possets require citrus to set (lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit…), but there are other fruits with a similar ph to citrus.

My original recipe idea, was to make an orange posset, flavoured with pomegranate (mostly because I just wanted the pink/peach colour). But as I was making the first batch I was having a hard time. Possets need the citric acid to set, so I couldn’t substitute pomegranate juice for orange juice. I could only add a tablespoon or so for flavour. Now, pomegranate isn’t as strong a taste as the orange, so it wasn’t coming through. Then, as I was tasting things, I wondered to myself if the bitter pomegranate juice might be acidic? Turns out, pomegranate has a lower ph than oranges, and is closer to that of lemons! That made me realize you could use pomegranate juice all on its own!

So I went back to the store for more cream and set about making three different possets – one solely orange, one 50/50 orange and pomegranate, and one solely pomegranate. I was curious about the different colours and flavours, and couldn’t settle on just one. The result? Well, the pomegranate one didn’t really taste pomegranate – it’s too delicate a flavour. I used pomegranate juice though, so maybe freshly squeezed would come through? With the 50/50 one you couldn’t really taste the pomegranate, as again, it’s too delicate. The orange one was the best, as the flavour really cut through the cream.

In my opinion, the best possets use the most sour flavours – like lemon and lime. They really come through the heaviness of the cream, unlike subtler flavours. Perhaps next time, I’ll try one with lime and ginger… doesn’t that sound nice?

So if you want to make a posset, experiment with flavours. Lemon is perfect, but you can also infuse things in the milk before you make the posset. Simply add whatever you want to infuse as you first simmer the cream. Then take it off the heat, cover with a lid (to prevent too much evaporation) and steep for 30 minutes. Bring it back to a simmer and continue with the recipe as before. You could infuse all kinds of spices, herbs, tea… just use your imagination!

Honestly, possets are so easy! My only advice would be to serve these in small dishes, as they are very very creamy… you don’t want to serve people too much. A double-shot of posset is all you really need!

For this recipe, I chose to use almonds and citrus – as they were two things I already had in the pantry. Try experimenting with all sorts of nuts, dried fruit, zest, chocolate, spices, etc… the options are endless. What about chocolate + hazelnut, lemon + cranberry, or white chocolate + pistachio? My original recipe was for orange, white chocolate, and ginger, but I’m not the biggest fan of white chocolate. Use whatever flavours you enjoy!

One part of the recipe that you shouldn’t skip, is the cooling step. The biscotti will spread, so the longer you chill it, the better it’ll hold its shape. You can chill it for just 30 minutes, overnight, or freeze for 20+ minutes.

This recipe makes about 24-30 small pieces, or you can shape it into one large log and get about 15 pieces. Just be careful about the baking time if you opt to make the larger size. They’ll take a bit longer to dry out, but otherwise, it’s the same process.

So, if you’re a fan of biscotti like I am, why not try making your own? It’s really far easier than you think.

Are you lucky enough to find yourself with an excess of lemons and oranges this Easter? Looking for something to make with them all? This was the bounty that I had the other weekend, and I was quite keen to use them all.

The other day I posted about the more unique take on Paska that I made this past weekend, and I promised more. I decided to try making a regular paska recipe that my aunt gave me, as well as using a challah bread recipe to make a paska-flavored challah. I had remembered paska dough as being quite wet and wanted something I could braid into shapes. However, after making my Aunt’s paska recipe, I realized it wasn’t as wet as I thought. I could have easily braided it into wreaths etc.

But you want to know what this huge amount of paska means, besides being something Richard can take to work? Paska French toast!! Awesome Easter breakfast… if I do say so myself.

So my reasoning behind wanting to make paska challah bread, was that I wanted a more decorative Easter bread. As much as I like the simple icing with sprinkles, as far as nostalgia goes, it doesn’t really say “Easter centerpiece”. I decided to make both the regular recipe (in unique tins) and the challah recipe. Perhaps these will inspire you to make a showpiece bread of your own?

What I found after making both recipes, was that the paska was a bit on the dry side compared to the challah bread, but sweeter. Maybe I used too much flour in the original paska recipe, but I think that the use of oil as opposed to butter was the main factor. As controversial as it may be, I think in the future I may make the challah recipe instead of traditional paska, but increase the sugar. I did the math and the original paska recipe had about 9% sugar, while the challah was only 6%. So if you feel like trying the challah one, I have included another sugar amount, that should hopefully give you the same sugar level.

Paska Challah Bread:

Okay, so first up, we have the challah bread. I had made this recipe before and knew that it would make amazing French toast. This bread is moist, and subtly sweet… perfect to turn into paska! I made a double batch, in order to create two different shapes – a braided crown, and a five-strand braid.

If you don’t already know how a five-strand braid is actually quite simple. You can see it in the photos below, but I will try to explain. Number the strands left to right, 1 through 5. Cross 5 over 2, 1 over 3, then 2 over 1. And repeat! Make sense?

At the end of the braid, simply pinch the ends together and tuck it under. Unfortunately, my baking sheet wasn’t quite long enough to fit the bread. It caused it to flop over a bit while proving and ended up looking less than perfect.

For the braided crown, it’s a simple 3 strand braid, which I won’t bother explaining here. Just finish the braid, and connect the ends together! Luckily, this one fit my sheet, so there were no problems proving.