Elderflower sorbet…
Jul 19th 2008sarahDessert & Food
…or ice. It looks more like ice to me, even though it tastes of elderflower.
Admittedly, I didn’t know what I was doing. But, considering the recipes I had for sorbet were mainly thin liquid, fruit and sugar, I thought I could have a go and see what happens. And so I did. And it turned out okay. Here it is in all it’s glory.
I made it using elderflower cordial, not the flowers themselves. Basically, I just made up the cordial to make a liter of liquid, put it into my ice cream maker and let it go. When it was mostly frozen, I transferred it to this container and froze it the rest of the way into the freezer.
It turned out ok. The flavor (which is the most important thing!) was nice – mostly due to the fact that I was using a shop bought cordial and not something I’ve made myself. I wouldn’t mind trying to make my own cordial at some point, but I would never do it using any of the flowers around here, unless we had a tree/bush in our garden, which we currently don’t.
From my point of view, the elderflower flavor is definitely a British thing. I had never had elderflower before I moved here, and all I can remember from home is some vague story about elderberries (which I’m sure is related to the flower!!) and my old neighbor making jam from them. I’m still not sure what elderberries taste like, but when I first tasted elderflower, the flavor seemed quite familiar to me. The flavor itself is unique and hard for me to describe, so I’m sorry I’m not more helpful. All I can say is I enjoy it.
I’d definitely make the sorbet again, but I might try a bit harder at finding a proper recipe next time.
4 Comments »
Anneli on 21 Jul 2008 at 9:20 am #
I think Elderflower thing only kicked off here quite recently. Before that, the only time I’d heard of anything “elder” was elderberries in the good ole Monty Python insult: Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!
ian on 11 Jul 2009 at 5:49 am #
Try making the cordial. It’s easy and really rewarding. Get the mix right and you will blow the shop cordial out of the glass.
I am going to try your recipe above with the cordial produced from my back garden. Did you dilute the cordial down before starting it in the ice-cream maker, or was it neat?
Oh, the flowers left on the bush after you have collected become elderberries. Good for trillions of things, but usually best known for their home-brew potential.
Regards,
Ian…
sarah on 11 Jul 2009 at 11:58 am #
I diluted it per the instructions on the bottle to make up a liter of liquid. It definitely wasn’t neat when I put it in the ice cream mixer! Good luck, and let me know how you get on. I’d be interested if it turns out well for you or if you do anything different.
I’d like to try making the cordial myself, perhaps if I find a good place to collect them I will!
Claire on 25 Jul 2010 at 8:14 pm #
Pacific School of Herbal Medicine provides a similar recipe with fresh elderflowers … enough to fill a quart jar, loosely packed. (And they didn’t mention the weather, either). No stems, they’re bitter. Delicious! Serving suggestion: a splash of Tequila.