Syllabub with Pomegranate

Single cooks and couples often forgo dessert because it is too much of a hassle to prepare. They’ll make do with a bowl of ice cream or a piece of fruit. Here is an old fashioned British dessert that is easy to make and quite elegant. Syllabub is a mixture of heavy cream, sugar, white wine, lemon juice, and lemon rind. Sprinkling a few pomegranate seeds on top gives it a festive appearance.

If you are just setting up your kitchen, you may not have a measuring cup, no problem. I can’t even get a measuring cup in Beirut so I’ve adapted my measuring to what I have. I use a mug, that is not really a standard American size mug, but a little smaller – I think – don’t really know because I don’t have an eight ounce mug to compare it with. I eyeball the amounts in the mug that I have and figure it will measure out fine.

Put ½ cup sugar into a bowl with 1 cup of heavy cream. Beat it with an electric or hand mixer or a whisk until it begins to thicken. Put ¼ cup of white wine, 1/8 cup of lemon juice, and 1 tsp. of grated lemon peel into the cup and add it to the cream. Beat the mixture until it is thicker, but not completely whipped. I pour it into three champagne flutes, because that is what I have, and a small glass. Put the glasses into the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Right before serving sprinkle a small handful of pomegranate seeds on top. If you don’t have pomegranate you can use any berry or grated lemon peel. And, voila, an elegant dessert for two, three, or four.