On possets and viruses
Or, a small rant ... and a lovely lemon and vanilla posset with pink rhubarb.
The recent viral trend of sticking some biscuits in yoghurt and then, a few hours later, marvelling how the resultant gunk “tasted just like cheesecake”, made me really sad.
Primarily because I think it’s tragic that the concept of (social media) virality exists at all.
Typically, ‘viral’ is the result of masses of people and brands amplifying something basic, by doing the same thing on camera ... often in the hope that gets them exposure. Which is not clever. Or creative. It’s just copying.
Nothing gives me the ick quicker than a video or article that begins “Let’s see if the viral [x] recipe is worth the hype”. Gross.
Of course I understand how and why the game works. And that the end goal is for online businesses to get clicks, and social media companies to draw as many people as possible into spending as long as possible in the tractor beam of their phones. But really, acknowledging that just makes things doubly depressing.
Then again, seeking attention, appealing to the broadest audience and, ultimately, striving for notoriety is not new. It’s marketing, business, life and even … art.
Last weekend, while enjoying the Turner & Constable exhibition at The Tate Britain, I was struck by the introductory note in a room full of six foot tall paintings. The gallery’s text explained that, as the two undoubtedly great artists were rising through the ranks, they both realised they needed go bigger and brasher in order to command attention at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions. So they did. Huge paintings. Bright colours. Probably, deep down, a direction they felt was as necessary as it was good.
Rivalry and comparison helped too. Constable worked behind to scenes to ensure his work hung next to Turner’s. And Turner sometimes responded by being a bit of a dick.
Seek attention. Then roll with it.
[Yes, individual talent and end product differentiates Turner and Constable from today’s TikTok stars. Also, per the diary entry below, a superior taste in food and drink]
I get – and am all for – people needing easy, no effort, micro doses of joy. And that food is frequently the source of that. I just think we can achieve and taste that joy more elegantly, and more deliciously, than through a voyeuristic game of soggy biscuit.
Interestingly, we can look back towards Turner and Constable’s era for a delicious and almost effortless sweet treat: possets.
The posset is a British dessert, which became popular in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries – the evolution of a warm, possibly medicinal drink of milk enriched with sugar and alcohol, it’s essentially set cream, transformed simply by the magical combination of heat, sugar and acid.
You need just three ingredients (the aforementioned cream, sugar, and a juice from a lemon, orange or grapefruit), plus a moment on the stove. Although I like to add a little vanilla as well – to round out the citrus and turn things a little custardy.
So yes. Possets! Easy! And very Google/ChatGPT able.
ALTHOUGH, actually, I’ve included tried and trusted weights, measures and timings for my lemon and vanilla posset below (lighter on the citrus than some). With additional hints and tips via ‘Cooks’ Notes’ too. I think you’ll find the observations useful.
ALSO you can and should also add perfectly pink forced rhubarb underneath or on top (or both). Instructions for that are in last year’s post on that ingredient:
The Recipe
Lemon and vanilla posset with perfectly pink forced rhubarb
