In this world of countless miles between loved ones, the simple act of messages can make the distance almost dissipate. I say almost because nothing ever comes close to actually being around someone, but my brother, who I have not seen in over three years and I, are currently on a mountaineering documentary kick. It’s almost on a daily basis that we message one another about another documentary where men much braver than ourselves have scaled and survived mountains.

Though neither of us have ever actually come close to this kind of adventuring, there is something to be said about sharing something with a close friend or family member that makes you feel far closer then you actually are geographically and it’s almost like I can hear us having the conversations. We converse about the difficulties these people have faced and the scenes that had us on the edge of our seats. We suggest what next to watch and to be honest, I’m not looking forward to the day we come to the end of this, mountaineering documentaries are just so much more interesting to talk about then another TV show.

Similarly, though it’s been years since my last movie night with friends in New Zealand, without a doubt they message whenever 13 Going on 30 is on to tell me my love Mark Ruffalo (I loved him before he was cool and rightfully so) is on. We are connected through something that we could in fact watch simultaneously in different time zones, though it doesn’t feel that distant when you are engrossed in a visually mesmerizing movie or documentary.

There is something to be said about the way movies can bring people together and memories and connections made while watching them. My mother and I would bond over movies so now whenever one comes on TV, she’ll email and tell me how much she wishes I was there. If I’m honest I would wish I was too, so we can laugh over scenes we’ve seen more times then we can count and quotes that we recite in conversation with one another.

Between mountaineering documentaries, I managed to make this lemon posset, a dish I had never heard of until I stumbled upon this a couple of months ago and finally gave it a go. The three ingredients make for a sweet dish that comes together rather quickly, but I suggest using a medium pot as this mixture will rise and boil over without constant careful watch.

Note: Images updated in early 2019.

Lemon Posset
Adapted from Food52
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
Heat the cream and sugar on medium high heat in a medium pot, stirring to dissolve sugar. Continue boiling for 5 minutes, ensuring the cream doesn’t stir over.

Remove from heat and add in the lemon juice, stirring to combine.

Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

Pour evenly into four dishes and refrigerate for a minimum 2 hours, or until set.

Serve chilled.