Evening Sack Posset
A creamy drink, halfway between soup and warm custard: hot milk is curdled with Spanish wine, bound with egg yolks and sugar, perfumed with nutmeg and mace. Comforting, rich, medicinal in the sense of the era.
A creamy drink, halfway between soup and warm custard: hot milk is curdled with Spanish wine, bound with egg yolks and sugar, perfumed with nutmeg and mace. Comforting, rich, medicinal in the sense of the era.
When the Thames fog gripped my chest, or a long vigil had exhausted me, a posset was brought up to me, piping hot. Warm the milk with the spices, pour in the Spanish wine, and watch it curdle gently, like a substance separating according to its own laws. Bind it with egg yolks and a little sugar, never letting it boil, else it turns and is lost. Taken with a spoon before sleeping, it restores a man better than all the apothecary's drugs.
- •Whole milk (or cream) — a pint (creamy base)
- •Spanish wine (sack) — half a glass (curdles and flavours)
- •Egg yolks — two or three (binding)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Nutmeg and mace — grated on top (signature spices)
- •Fine breadcrumbs — a little, optional (traditional thickener)
Evening Sack Posset
A creamy drink, halfway between soup and warm custard: hot milk is curdled with Spanish wine, bound with egg yolks and sugar, perfumed with nutmeg and mace. Comforting, rich, medicinal in the sense of the era.
Why this dish? Of fragile health and nervous constitution, Newton lived soberly and stayed up late. 'Sack posset' — hot milk curdled with sweet wine, bound with egg yolks and spiced — was the classic comfort remedy of the time: taken in the evening against cold, a chill, or simply to restore oneself before rest.
When the Thames fog gripped my chest, or a long vigil had exhausted me, a posset was brought up to me, piping hot. Warm the milk with the spices, pour in the Spanish wine, and watch it curdle gently, like a substance separating according to its own laws. Bind it with egg yolks and a little sugar, never letting it boil, else it turns and is lost. Taken with a spoon before sleeping, it restores a man better than all the apothecary's drugs.
Ingredients (period version)
- Whole milk (or cream) — a pint (creamy base)
- Spanish wine (sack) — half a glass (curdles and flavours)
- Egg yolks — two or three (binding)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Nutmeg and mace — grated on top (signature spices)
- Fine breadcrumbs — a little, optional (traditional thickener)
Ingredients
- Whole milk — 40 cl (base)
- Heavy cream — 10 cl (richness)
- Sweet sherry (or Madeira) — 6 cl (curdling and flavour)
- Egg yolks — 3 (binding)
- Sugar — 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Nutmeg and mace (or cinnamon) — 1/2 tsp (spices)
Method
- Gently heat the milk and cream with the spices, without boiling.
- In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale.
- Pour the sweet wine into the warm milk: it will begin to curdle slightly — this is normal and desired.
- Off the heat, gradually whisk the milk-wine mixture into the yolks, then return to very low heat and stir until slightly thickened (NEVER let it boil, or it will curdle).
- Pour into cups, grate nutmeg and mace on top, and enjoy warm with a small spoon.
How it was made : The posset is attested throughout English cooking from the 15th to the 18th century, with countless handwritten household recipes. A 'posset pot' with a spout was often used, to drink the clear liquid from the bottom while eating the thick top with a spoon. It was both a festive treat and a domestic remedy for colds.
The contemporary twist : Poured into small glasses and chilled for a few minutes, it becomes a warm-cold creamy dessert delicately vinous, to serve with a shortbread cookie.
Isaac Newton · Charactorium