06 June

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June 13, 2026

3-Ingredient Lemon Posset

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3-Ingredient Lemon Posset

June: National Lemon Month
June 13, 2026: Trooping the Colours

Sometimes the simplest recipe is fit enough for a king. Lemon posset, a type of creamy citrusy pudding, is one of King Charles III’s favorite desserts—so much so that he requests it often to be served even at fancy gatherings.

Italian Chef Enrico Derflingher, the youngest chef at age 26 to have served the British Royal Family (1987-1990), tried to make the best of a situation when a trip to the Shetland Islands was extended due to weather. Kitchen staff were low on supplies and ingredients, and he decided to use the lemons at his disposal and make a traditional English dessert. When life handed him lemons, he made lemonade lemon posset. 

We were inspired to make this dessert in honor/honour of KC3’s birthday celebration; although he was born on November 14, 1948, the reigning British monarch’s birthday is observed in June during the Trooping the Colours event. 

There are only three ingredients in this recipe featuring this month’s fruit: lemons. The acidity of the fruit juice helps to curdle and thicken the cream sweetened with sugar. We topped the posset with reddish raspberries and blueberries to match the colors of the Union Jack. The posset could be served inside emptied lemon halves for a cute presentation or in finest dessert dishes (we used our everyday ramekins). Make lemon posset and dine like royalty during National Lemon Month or while watching the Trooping the Colours on TV.  Cheers and God save the King!

Recipe

(Adapted from Tallahassee Democrat)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar, granulated white
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional, see Notes)
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice, fresh from 2-3 lemons

Directions

If planning to serve the pudding in lemons, wash and dry the fruit, slice them in half, then hollow them out by scraping the insides out with a spoon. Set aside (we used muffin tins/cupcake pans to hold our lemon halves in place). Squeeze the juice from the innards to equal 1/3 cup. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream with sugar. 

Boil over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar, making sure the cream does not burn in the bottom of the pan. Cook around 5-7 minutes until the cream is somewhat reduced. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let it sit untouched for 15-20 minutes until slightly cooled. Stir to remove the top skin layer. Spoon into the lemon halves or dessert dishes. Refrigerate to set, around 3-4 hours. Garnish with berries and mint (optional) before serving cold. 

Notes

  • Use an extra lemon to add zest to the cream close to the end of boiling. Or use the zest as a garnish. We forgot to add the zest but that is okay since recipe reviews state that it can make the pudding sourer if it sits for more than a day.
  • If using lemon halves, serve the pudding on the same day to avoid making the pudding go sour. This recipe can fill anywhere from 8-10 lemon halves, depending on the size of the fruit. We used both lemon halves and ramekins to serve our lemon posset.
  • Chef Darren McGrady, another royal chef, used to make lemon posset for the British Royal Family, too. Read about his experiences and a little history about this classic English dessert on Hello! magazine.  
  • Search for other lemon and royally-inspired recipes on our blog.

 

June 10, 2024

Herbes de Provence Sablés

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Herbes de Provence Sablés

June 10: National Herb and Spice Day

Islander’s culinary club challenged members to make something with herbs and spices for the meeting theme. While others made savories, she made sweets–cute cookies *literally* seasoned with herbes de Provence and decorated with parsley, sage and thyme leaves.

Herbes de Provence originated from the French Provençal region as an all-purpose seasoning. There are different variations of the dried herbal mix but most likely includes thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano, tarragon, marjoram, savory and bay leaves. 

Typically used to season meat, fish and vegetable stews, herbes de Provence are a unique ingredient to add to a lemony sablé (sandy shortbread) recipe. The decorated cookies, made in a “laminated” decorating technique, look eye-catching on the table, tastes delicious and are perfect for National Herb and Spice Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Teatime Magazine)

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
  • 1/3 cup sugar, granulated white
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 ½ cups flour, all purpose
  • Fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, sage, etc.)

Directions

Use a mortar and pestle to ground the herbs de Provence finely. Transfer to a small bowl to mix with the sugar and salt. Add the lemon zest and incorporate well with the herbs mixture.

In a larger bowl, cream the butter with the powdered sugar, along with the herbs mixture. Beat in the egg yolk. Gradually mix in the flour until a dough starts to form. It will be a little crumbly so use hands to knead until it all sticks together.

Roll out the dough on waxed paper to ½ inch thickness. Place pieces of herbs about 2-3 inches apart on top of the flattened dough. Place another piece of waxed paper on top and roll out to ¼ inch thickness, making sure that the herbs are pressed well into the dough.

Position a round, fluted cookie cutter and center it over the herb on the dough. Cut out the round shape and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Re-roll dough and continue cutting out the herbs in the center with the cookie cutter. 

Space them about an inch apart from each other on the sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the cookie edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Arrange the cookies randomly on a platter to showcase the variety of herbs. Yield: Approximately 2-2 ½ dozen cookies.

Notes

  • We bought our herbes de Provence in a labeled jar at Williams-Sonoma (or Sur La Table?). We can’t remember exactly but it can be ordered online as well.
  • Rinse, clean and pat dry fresh herbs for “laminating” onto the cookies. We tried thyme, sage, parsley and found the latter easier to press and stay on the dough. A variety of other green herbs laminated on the cookies would look pretty on a plate.
  • We also serve our sablés at a garden tea party for a sweet Southern summertime treat.
  • Search our blog for more recipes containing herbs and spices.
 

June 1, 2024

Muhallebih

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Muhallebih

(Iraqi Milk Pudding)

June 1: World Milk Day

National Milk Day can be scary for Islander and those with dairy allergies. She must either avoid eating any milky, creamy or cheesy foods or take a lactase enzyme for her to tolerate them. Not wanting to miss out on this fun food holiday, she used a lactose-free and nut milk alternative to make a Middle Eastern dessert to post on our blog.

We have seen muhallebih (muhalabia) on the menus of the Middle Eastern restaurants we go to. But the real cow milk in these puddings scare away Islander from ordering them. To save her tummy and her money, she makes muhallebih at home with Lactaid or almond milk (whichever one we have readily available in our refrigerator). Cow milk has a fuller-bodied flavor than lighter nut milk in this recipe. Either way, this Iraqi milk pudding makes a quick, easy and refreshing dessert and is perfect for National Milk Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Little Sunny Kitchen)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups milk
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rose water
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Pistachios, chopped (optional garnish)

Directions

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the milk and sugar, being careful not to burn the bottom of the pan. Stir in the rose water.

Add the cornstarch and continue to stir to thicken. Divide pudding into dessert cups. Let cool to room temperature before putting in the refrigerator to chill. Chop some pistachios and sprinkle over the pudding cups before serving cold.

Notes

  • This Iraqi milk pudding is similar to but simpler than Afghani milk pudding with fewer ingredients. This one does not have cardamom or saffron. 
  • Rose water may be substituted with orange blossom water, a typical ingredient found in Middle Eastern sweet recipes.
 

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