I don't know about you, but this year it seemed that Elderflowers flowered late in the season, I'd normally expect them to be out and about in May, but it wasn't until mid-June before they started flowering around here (NE25).
One thing I was determined to do this year was make elderflower cordial.
Last year I failed miserably at Elderflower Champagne, this was mainly caused by me following an incorrect recipe on a website, too much sugar caused too much fermentation and one by one my glass bottles exploded. The firs few exploded in the cupboard under the stairs (now a pantry), and a couple of the others exploded in the garage.
After that I decided that it would be much safer to make a
non-fizzy alternative.
I also feel that I was making it quite late in the elderflower season too, I'd missed the best of the flowers, but wanted to make some (and see what happened). The recipe I followed was quick and easy to do (full recipe below).
Special Ingredients...
The only real
specialist ingredient was tartaric acid, and that's recommended for your recipe if you want it to last
several months instead of 'several weeks in the fridge'. Fortunately, my local brewing shop, the aptly named
Elderflower, 28 Station Road, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, NE26 2RD supplied me with tartaric acid and had a ready supply - he'd had lots of other people asking for it :)
Doesn't take long to make...
The elderflowers were picked one day, steeped in hot water overnight (which makes your house smell of elderflowers) and then turned into the cordial the next day. Which is great, you don't need to wait for weeks for it to 'turn' it's all done in a couple of days.
Drinking it...
I've made 3 litres of cordial, it's refreshing, sweet and delicious. I've been drinking it mixed with lemonade 1 part cordial to 5 parts lemonade. But it would work really well
mixed with cava, as a refreshing drink, and it works
with vodka and lemonade.
Eating it....
As it's quite syrupy, it would work with fresh fruit in a dessert, or splashed over ice cream, or possibly used on sponge fingers in a trifle.
Success
It's delicious, and wished I'd made it earlier. Next year I'll make more batches over the flowering season.
Recipe from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall:
- 20-30 freshly picked heads of elderflower
- Zest of 2 lemons and 1 orange
- Up to 1.5 kg of granulated sugar
- Up to 200ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Tartaric Acid
- Shake insects off flowers, but don't wash them - it ruins the flavour, then place them in a large bowl with the lemon and orange zest.
- Pour over just enough boiled water to cover them completely (approx 1.5 - 2 litres).
- Cover and leave for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until cold.
- Strain the liquid through muslin or a jelly bag, gently squeezing to extract all the juice.
- Measure the amount of liquid and pour it into a saucepan. To every 500ml liquid add 350g sugar and 50ml lemon juice, add 1 heaped teaspoon of tartaric acid per 500ml liquid.
- Heat gently to dissolve all the sugar, stirring ocassionally. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim off any scum.
- Let the cordial cool, then strain it again through muslin or a jelly bag.
- Funnel the cordial into glass bottles - will keep for several months. (You can leave out the tartaric acid, but it won't keep as long and will need storing in the fridge).
