Elderflower vinegar + sorbet + cordial
May, 2024
If I could only forage one thing, it would be elderflower. I can’t get enough of it. I love its floral and almost pear-like scent. On a warm and breezy day, you’ll smell it before you see it. Its bright off-white flowers can be seen like a beacon in the distance against the backdrop of the tree’s vibrant green leaves.
A quick internet search will tell you that the go-to recipe for elderflower is cordial. Of course, why not? I’ve included a recipe below. But you can do more. I thought I'd share two other simple recipes.
Where to find elderflower
Elder trees can be found in hedgerows, in between fields, in parks, along bridle paths… tons of places! The blooms are flat-headed sprays of hundreds of tiny, five-petalled, creamy-white flowers. They flower from May into June and later in the year they will produce berries that can be used, but need to be cooked first as they’re toxic when raw.
When picking elderflower sprays, avoid trees by the roadside (pollution) and pick above waist height (dog pee). You should also pick them on a sunny day. If you pick the sprays on a rainy day, they will taste bitter. Only take as many as you need and save the rest for the pollinators. Elderflower won’t keep well for long after being picked and will start to turn brown, so collect them on the day you need them. I pick and store the sprays in a sturdy container, ideally with a lid, and place all the heads face down. This is to keep as much of the pollen as possible intact. I once collected the sprays in a tote bag which was a terrible idea. The inside of the bag was covered in pollen as the sprays bashed around on my walk back to the house.
I’m going to start with elderflower vinegar. I think I came across this infusion in one of Claire Thomson’s (5 O’clock Apron) Instagram stories a couple of years ago. This is an easy recipe that is super fast to make but then requires a bit of time to mature. It can elevate many dishes: use it as the acid element in a vinegarette, drizzle a teaspoon or two over steaming new potatoes for a hit of flavour or use it as a base for pickling vegetables. A teaspoon of this with some olive oil on tomatoes is great.
You can use any shop-bought vinegar for this recipe. I use an apple cider vinegar.
500ml of vinegar
10 elderflower sprays
Check the elderflower sprays for any insects and delicately remove any. Do not wash the sprays in water! You'll lose the lovely aromas you’ve worked hard to keep. You can pick the flowers from the stalk, but I think this is unnecessary as you’ll remove them later anyway. The stalk is fine to go into the vinegar.
Add your vinegar to a jar with adequate capacity along with all of the elderflower sprays and ensure the lid is on tightly before giving it a little shake. Don’t worry if some of the elderflower isn’t submerged. They will eventually wilt and sink. Leave in a light spot for up to 2 weeks to infuse.
After 2 weeks, taste. You can infuse for longer but I wouldn't recommend more than 4 weeks. Strain the sprays with a muslin cloth and pour the vinegar into a sterilised bottle or glass jar. Use within a year. Give it to friends in little bottles.
I've made a few smaller batches of elderflower sorbet in the past fortnight, playing around with the ratio for the sugar syrup. The first batch using a recipe from a cookbook, was far too sweet. After reading up on recommended ratios for sorbet, I concluded that 30% sugar to 100ml water gave the sorbet its sweetness and optimal structure, without requiring dental work after two scoops. The ratios will change if you’re using pure fruit, but I’ll cover this in another post. Below is a recipe using 500ml water and 150g sugar, but use the ratio above to increase or reduce your quantity.
12 elderflower sprays
500ml water
150g sugar (caster or crystal)
1 lemon, juiced + 1 strip of lemon zest (optional)
Additional flavouring (optional)
5 mint leaves OR a sprig of thyme OR a sprig of rosemary
Add the sugar and water to a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. You want it to lightly bubble for a couple of moments but never get to a boil.
Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, the lemon zest (optional), herb (optional) and the elderflower heads. Leave to infuse for up to an hour and allow the solution to cool.
When the sorbet is at this stage, the flavours may appear quite strong but when frozen, the flavours will mellow. This is worth remembering if you experiment with other more delicate flavours.
Using a muslin cloth, strain the elderflower and zest and pour the remaining liquid into a bowl or tub suitable for freezing. Place in the freezer.
After two hours, take the sorbet out of the freezer. It should only be partially frozen. With an electric whisk, a food processor or even a fork, mash or blitz the sorbet until you have a slushy texture. You need to work fairly fast during this stage. Add the sorbet back into the freezer and repeat this process once or twice more, every two hours.
In a perfect situation, you should be looking to serve the sorbet on the same day for the best texture and flavour, but in real-life terms, that can’t always work. My test batches of sorbet are sitting happily in the freezer two weeks on, and they have a good texture. Perhaps the flavour has depleted a little but not a drastic amount.
Finally, the elderflower cordial. this is great with water or tonic, and it’s a great addition to cocktails. I guess you could evn drizzle a little over some meringue and strawberries. This recipe requires citric acid which is available at most chemists.
75g citric acid
1.5kg sugar (caster or crystal)
1 litre water
2 lemons, sliced
20 sprays of elderflower
To form the syrup base, add the sugar and water to a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for a couple of moments but never get to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add the citric acid, sliced lemons and elderflower sprays. Cover the pan and allow to infuse overnight or up to 24 hours.
Strain through a muslin cloth and pour into sterilised bottles. It will keep for up to 6 weeks in the fridge. If you opt to make a larger batch than the one above, you can also freeze it.
I’ve been on the hunt for more unusual uses and recipes with elderflower. If you have any, please comment below!
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