Old Hagbech Lemon Posset

Lemon posset is one of the oldest desserts here in the UK, harking back to the middle ages. It is the simplest of things to put together and unlike it's Italian cousin, panna cotta which as its name implies is also made of cooked cream, it has a creamy texture rather than a set one.
I like to utilise the peel always when using lemons, why discard a source of such good flavour and I also believe the addition of the lime juice adds to the finished dish. Double cream is not available in the US as far as I am aware, the heavy cream that is sold there contains between 20 and 25% less fat than the double cream sold in the UK, I cannot therefore be certain that substituting the US heavy cream in this recipe will work.

For this recipe you will need;
700ml of double cream
200g of sugar
The juice and peel of 3 lemons
The juice of 1 lime

Begin by paring the thinnest layer of peel off the lemons, be careful not to include any of the bitter white pith. Place it along with the cream and sugar in a heavy based pan and slowly bring up to the boil. Whist stirring continuously, continue to cook the cream on the lowest heat for 3 minutes, it will appear slightly foamy, you need to watch that it doesn't boil over or catch on the bottom of the pan. Take the cream off the heat and strain out the peel, add the juice of the lemons and the lime and mix well before pouring into 6 small containers. Lemon posset requires a good 6 hours in the fridge to firm up, so this is not a last minute dessert.