Tips on How to Choose and Pick Your Elderflowers
The Elderflower season is short, late May to the latest, mid-July, if you live in the the north or Scotland. The heavily scented flowers are wonderful made into a refreshing cordial, which in turn can be used in so many other recipes.
The wonderful scent of the flowers when infused with lemon and sugar makes a refreshing cordial, which in turn can be used in recipes.
Before you embark on making your cordial, read these top tips to make sure you pick and use only the best flowers.
Once you are clear about how and what, then it is time to make the cordial.
Elderflower Cordial Recipe
The flowers are picked, cleaned and you have assembled your ingredients and sterilised your bottles. Time to make your cordial. Making it is simple and easy and though it takes a few days to see the process through, believe me, it is worth it.
The cordial can be drunk with either still or sparkling water and is a creative and delicious ingredient in the recipes on the following pages.
Elderflower Cordial Recipe
Elderflower cordial comes into its own when used in dessert and pudding recipes. The heavy scent of the cordial, the sweetness from the sugar and tang from the lemon bring wonderful background flavours to your dish.
A top favourite is a refreshing jelly. This recipe uses Champagne, but don't worry, you don't have to. You can use tonic water instead and if making the jelly for children it is best not to use alcohol.
Elderflower and Champagne Jelly Recipe
A lovely summery recipe especially great for afternoon tea is Elderflower Cupcake Recipe.
When the weather heats up add your cordial to Elderflower and Honey Ice Cream.
Make dessert extra special with an Elderflower Pannacotta Recipe
Liven up any recipe using cream such as an Eton Mess with a simple to make Elderflower Cream Recipe or using the flowers only, Elderflower Sugar.
Yes you read that correctly, elderflower works just as well in a savoury dish as it does sweet. Elderflower loves to be married with acidic gooseberries and rhubarb, so relishes and chutneys work very well. As these two fruits also work well with fatty meats then it no surprise to see duck listed in the recipes below.
Pan-fried Duck with Gooseberry and Elderflower Relish Recipe
Gooseberry and Elderflower Relish Recipe
Once cooked, add a dash of cordial in this Rhubarb Relish Recipe
Elderflower Vinaigrette Recipe
And, though not a savoury recipe, I couldn't list my favourite recipes without including a cocktail. This Elderflower Cocktail comes from Colleen Graham, About.com's cocktails expert. It is a great way to enjoy the taste of St. Germaine, an elderflower liqueur, or if you prefer, a non-alcoholic elderflower cordial. This drink is a little different because it uses both Champagne and club soda but if that produces too many bubbles for you, a dry white wine is also really nice.
The Elderflower season is short, late May to the latest, mid-July, if you live in the the north or Scotland. The heavily scented flowers are wonderful made into a refreshing cordial, which in turn can be used in so many other recipes.
The wonderful scent of the flowers when infused with lemon and sugar makes a refreshing cordial, which in turn can be used in recipes.
Before you embark on making your cordial, read these top tips to make sure you pick and use only the best flowers.
Once you are clear about how and what, then it is time to make the cordial.
Next Page - The Best Elderflower Cordial Recipe
Elderflower Cordial Recipe
The flowers are picked, cleaned and you have assembled your ingredients and sterilised your bottles. Time to make your cordial. Making it is simple and easy and though it takes a few days to see the process through, believe me, it is worth it.
The cordial can be drunk with either still or sparkling water and is a creative and delicious ingredient in the recipes on the following pages.
Elderflower Cordial Recipe
Next Page - Sweet Elderflower Recipes
Elderflower cordial comes into its own when used in dessert and pudding recipes. The heavy scent of the cordial, the sweetness from the sugar and tang from the lemon bring wonderful background flavours to your dish.
A top favourite is a refreshing jelly. This recipe uses Champagne, but don't worry, you don't have to. You can use tonic water instead and if making the jelly for children it is best not to use alcohol.
Elderflower and Champagne Jelly Recipe
A lovely summery recipe especially great for afternoon tea is Elderflower Cupcake Recipe.
When the weather heats up add your cordial to Elderflower and Honey Ice Cream.
Make dessert extra special with an Elderflower Pannacotta Recipe
Liven up any recipe using cream such as an Eton Mess with a simple to make Elderflower Cream Recipe or using the flowers only, Elderflower Sugar.
Next Page - Savoury Elderflower Recipes and a Cocktail
Yes you read that correctly, elderflower works just as well in a savoury dish as it does sweet. Elderflower loves to be married with acidic gooseberries and rhubarb, so relishes and chutneys work very well. As these two fruits also work well with fatty meats then it no surprise to see duck listed in the recipes below.
Pan-fried Duck with Gooseberry and Elderflower Relish Recipe
Gooseberry and Elderflower Relish Recipe
Once cooked, add a dash of cordial in this Rhubarb Relish Recipe
Elderflower Vinaigrette Recipe
And, though not a savoury recipe, I couldn't list my favourite recipes without including a cocktail. This Elderflower Cocktail comes from Colleen Graham, About.com's cocktails expert. It is a great way to enjoy the taste of St. Germaine, an elderflower liqueur, or if you prefer, a non-alcoholic elderflower cordial. This drink is a little different because it uses both Champagne and club soda but if that produces too many bubbles for you, a dry white wine is also really nice.
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