A 16th-century English dessert of cream whipped with white wine or cider, lemon zest and sugar until frothy, traditionally served cold in small glasses with a layer of liquid at the base.
Syllabub is one of the oldest distinctively English desserts, recorded from the 16th century and at its fashionable peak in the 17th and 18th centuries. The earliest syllabubs were a drink, cream or milk warmed and squirted direct from the cow into a bowl of spiced wine or ale, the heat and the agitation producing a froth that was spooned off, the liquid beneath drunk. By the 18th century the dish had settled into a cold cream whipped with wine, lemon juice and sugar and served in glasses; Hannah Glasse gives a recipe in The Art of Cookery of 1747. The name's origin is uncertain, possibly from the French words for sip and bub or drink. It is the direct ancestor of the later fool and trifle families, and of the modern zabaglione-flavoured creams. The dish nearly died out in the 20th century but survives on traditional English menus, its charm the contrast of tart wine, lemon and rich cream in a single glass.
A cold, light, airy foam of cream faintly sharpened by wine and lemon, sweet but not cloying, with a small pool of clear winey liquid at the bottom of the glass to sip after. Effervescent, delicate, slightly alcoholic.
Syllabub relies on the partial coagulation of cream by the acid and alcohol in wine and lemon juice, which thickens it without curdling it when handled gently. Double cream is whisked with white wine (or cider), a little brandy, lemon zest and juice, and sugar, stopped while still spoonable, not stiff. As it rests in the glass for several hours, the mixture separates: a thick, stable foam of fat and protein rises to the top, while a clear, tart, sweet liquid weeps to the bottom, the two layers being the dish's defining feature. The traditional technique of milking directly into the wine is gone; modern recipes stabilise the foam with a little gelatine or simply serve the syllabub soon after whisking. The lemon zest is essential for aroma, the juice for the acid that sets the cream.
Variations
Cider replaces wine for a West Country syllabub. A spoon of brandy or sherry deepens the flavour. Some add a little gelatine to hold the foam indefinitely. A modern 'instant' version folds the wine-cream into whipped cream for a fool-like texture.
On the Palate
Where Syllabub sits in the British flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
5 steps · 15 min
- 14 min
Pour 300ml double cream into a chilled bowl; add 150ml dry white wine, 2 tbsp brandy, the finely pared zest and 3 tbsp juice of 1 lemon, and 50g caster sugar.
- 26 min
Whisk slowly at first to combine, then a little faster until the mixture thickens to a soft, spoonable foam that just holds a ribbon, do not whip to stiff peaks.
Watch outWhisk only to a soft ribbon that just holds its trail, never to stiff peaks — over-whipped, the cream won't split into the layered foam-and-liquid that defines syllabub.
- 33 min
Taste and adjust sugar or lemon to balance; the mix should be tart and sweet.
- 43 min
Spoon into 6 small glasses, cover and chill for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight, until separated into a foam above a clear liquid.
Watch outChill it undisturbed for hours — the point is the separation, a stable foam rising over a clear tart liquid; serve it too soon and there's no bottom layer.
- 55 min
Serve cold, as is, in the glasses; the liquid at the base is part of the dish.
