Last week I featured a recipe for elderflower cordial in this column. The cordial makes a great cooking ingredient, allowing you to infuse a variety of dishes with the floral qualities of elderflower. A splash can transform a simple fruit compote or add to the fruit in a classic crumble to add an extra layer of flavour. Elderflower pairs well with numerous fruits, in particular gooseberry and rhubarb but also with strawberries and with stone fruits such as peaches and apricots. A light as air sabayon is the perfect vehicle for delicate elderflower, here with honey and lavender roasted apricots. Such a quintessentially English ingredient should surely be part of any summer afternoon tea. My twist on a traditional lemon drizzle cake and a rhubarb and elderflower jam allow this foraged jewel to take centre stage.
Roasted apricots with elderflower sabayon
12 x apricots
2tsp honey
Flowers 1 head lavender
4 large egg yolks
50g caster sugar
30ml elderflower cordial
50ml water
Drizzle the apricots with honey and sprinkle with lavender. Roast at 180°, gas 4 for 20-25 minutes or until soft but still holding their shape.
Meanwhile combine the egg yolks, sugar, cordial and water in a metal bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. The bottom of the bowl must not touch the water or the eggs will scramble. Cook, whisking continually until the mix has at least trebled in volume and is light and fluffy. This should take around 15 minutes. It should be thick enough that the whisk, when lifted, leaves a trail in the mix- any less and the mix will collapse. Be careful not to get the mix too hot or it will become grainy and do not stop whisking!
Spoon the sabayon over the apricots and serve immediately.
Rhubarb and elderflower Jam
15 heads elderflower
1.5kg rhubarb
1.5kg granulated sugar
Zest and juice 1 lemon
Place the elderflower into muslin and tie into a bag. Peel the zest of a lemon into strips and place on top of the muslin bag with the rhubarb. Cover with the sugar. Leave in a warm place (an airing cupboard is ideal) for 12 hours. Stir, leave 12 hours more. Add lemon juice. Bring to the boil, skimming off any scum as it rises. Cook for 45 minutes. Check for set by placing a spoonful on a saucer and leaving in the fridge for a couple of minutes. Remove the muslin bag.
Lemon and Elderflower Drizzle Cake
125g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
Grated rind 2 lemons, juice 1 lemon
2 eggs
175g self-raising flour
5 tbsp elderflower cordial
2-3 tbsp milk
30g granulated sugar
Grease and line a 1kg/2lb loaf tin. Preheat oven to 180°, gas 4. Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg with a tbsp flour, then the 2nd egg with tbsp flour. Fold in remaining flour. Add 2tbsp cordial and enough milk to loosen the mixture. It should be soft enough to drop off the end of a spoon when lifted. Bake for 40-45 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. When the cake is nearly cooked, heat lemon juice, remaining 3tbsp cordial and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. As soon as the cake is out of the oven, pierce the top all over with a skewer and pour over the syrup. Cool in the tin.
Alison Smith @chefalismith
