Elderberry Cordial

Elderflowers get all the attention in summer, with pages of magazine articles devoted to stories of people making their own elderflower cordial ,  champagne and ices.  I’m guilty too , I still have a few bottles of elderflower champage in the shed and elderflower vodka waiting to break out for Christmas.

Come Autumn the Elder bushes once again burst into life, branches groaning with elderberries, annoying motorists as birds “recycle” the berries onto their cars. However the lifestyle pages are strangely empty of elderberry recipes possibly overshadowed  by the fat juicer blackberries.

So for the first time I decided to make something with elderberries , starting easy with something I know that I like I made a bottle of Elderberry cordial which can then be used in a variety of ways

Elderberry Cordial

400g of elderberries removed from the stalks
Water
Sugar
Citric Acid/Lemon Juice

1. Cover the elderberries with water in a pan (not aluminium , but who has an aluminium pan these days) . Cover and  bring to a simmer
2. Add 100g of sugar per 400ml of water. Simmer for 20 minutes
3. Strain through a piece of muslin squeezing well.
4. Add  1/2tsp of citric acid or juice of half a lemon per 500ml of elderberry mixture

Once made this ruby glowing  cordial has many uses above just looking pretty in the cupboard

Elderberry Cordial Diluted 1 part cordial to 10 part hot or cold water

Elderberry Sorbet 100ml of elderberry cordial 200ml of water , 1 egg white whisked til frothy . Mix together the water and the cordial ,freeze for 3 hours. Soften the mixture by whizzing it briefly in a food processor or blender. Stir in the whisked egg white and return the sorbet to the freezer. Freeze for 6 hours  ( 4 servings)

Elderberry Syrup Simmer the cordial for 15 minutes until halved in volume and syrupy. Perfect over vanilla ice cream or once cooled poured over meringue and cream.

Elderflower Jelly ( Serves 4)  100ml cordial 200ml of water 4 sheets of gelatine. Heat the water until warm but not boiling Add the gelatin and stir til dissolve . Allow to cool then stir syrup. Pour into moulds and allow to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours

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