Life is giving me lemons, and by "life," I mean my For You page, which is serving me so many desserts served in lemon cups. These seem to be primarily lemon possets, a British dessert similar in texture to a panna cotta often calling for just three ingredients: sugar, cream, and lemon juice. Of course, there are also lemon jellies, puddings, and slushes, but the premise remains: Scoop out a lemon and fill it with a lemon-flavored dessert.
It's clearly not just me. According to Google Trends, search interest in lemon possets has skyrocketed in May and June, after being basically negligible since 2009. (Reasons for its popularity back then remain unclear.) And this new surge seems isolated to the United States: In the United Kingdom, lemon possets have been steadily popular over the same time period; in fact, interest now is down compared to points in the previous decade.
While serving a posset in a lemon isn't required (Mary Berry pours hers into a pastry shell), it's certainly that kind of TikTok-friendly touch that helps turn something quite simple into a veritable trend (the dalgona coffee days, for example). Naturally, the lemon aesthetic also fits into that coastal Italian, White Lotus-inspired moment that's had tourists in a chokehold over the past few years.
What we can glean from the popularity of lemon possets, aside from a fun dessert to try this summer, is what makes a good FoodTok trend — the kind that can surpass the platform. What juggernaut trends like dalgona coffee, the tortilla hack, that baked feta pasta, the Emily Mariko rice bowl, the butter board, and lemon possets have in common is a sense of familiarity. The flavors and ingredients — which most of us can immediately recognize, like a lemon or instant coffee — are accessible, even if the format or techniques are new; it's that slight leveling up of what we know that serves as the hook. They're also simple enough that less-experienced cooks can recreate them with little barrier, but basic enough to offer potential for remixing.
Also on my FYP is New York City's buzzy Bad Roman, with its trompe l'oeil dessert of lemon cheesecake made to look like lemons. Having seen so many videos of it, I get the appeal, especially online: Diners crack into the yellow shell with their spoons for a reveal that makes people stop scrolling (tough work in this economy). But I'll leave the Resy battles to those braver and spendier than I. The humble posset should be enough for my summer, and it's almost as fun to watch. — Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter
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