Once picked, the flowers fade quickly, so there is always a mad springtime rush to preserve their elusive flavour in cordials and syrups. Combined with citrus, elderflowers really sing.
Makes about 1 litre
INGREDIENTS
220 g (1 cup) sugar
4 heads elderflower, plus extra to serve rind of 1 lemon, peeled off in strips
1 tablespoon liquid glucose
150 ml lemon juice (from about 4-5 lemons)
sparkling wine, to serve
METHOD
1 Combine sugar, elderflowers, lemon rind and 250 ml (1 cup) water in a non- reactive saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Stir through glucose and lemon juice then remove from heat. Cover with a lid and set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to allow elderflower flavour to infuse.
2 Strain mixture, discarding lemon rind and elderflowers, then chill until cold. Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.
3 Scoop sorbet into elegant glasses, pour over a little sparking wine, garnish with elderflowers and serve immediately.
Cook’s note If you don’t have an ice cream machine, simply freeze the mixture in a container, then scrape ice into flakes with a fork to make a granita.
Recipes from the book The Agrarian Kitchen by Rodney Dunn and photography by Luke Burgess, published by
Lantern rrp $59.99.
