Homemade Elderflower Cordial Food

HOMEMADE ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

Steps:

• Put the sugar and 1.5 litres/2¾ pints water into the largest saucepan you have. Gently heat, without boiling, until the sugar has dissolved. Give it a stir every now and again. Pare the zest from the lemons using a potato peeler, then slice the lemons into rounds.
• Once the sugar has dissolved, bring the pan of syrup to the boil, then turn off the heat. Fill a washing up bowl with cold water. Give the flowers a gentle swish around to loosen any dirt or bugs. Lift flowers out, gently shake and transfer to the syrup along with the lemons, zest and citric acid, then stir well. Cover the pan and leave to infuse for 24 hrs.
• Line a colander with a clean tea towel, then sit it over a large bowl or pan. Ladle in the syrup - let it drip slowly through. Discard the bits left in the towel. Use a funnel and a ladle to fill sterilised bottles (run glass bottles through the dishwasher, or wash well with soapy water. Rinse, then leave to dry in a low oven). The cordial is ready to drink straight away and will keep in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. Or freeze it in plastic containers or ice cube trays and defrost as needed.

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

Steps:

• Snip off the flowers from the stalks into a large bowl or bucket that will hold everything. Try to remove as much of the stems as you can; they are toxic. A few stray bits of stems will not hurt you, but you want to minimize it.
• Zest the lemons and add it to the bowl, then the citric acid and lemon juice.
• Bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve. Let the syrup cool enough so that you can stick your finger in it without getting burned; you can leave it to cool to room temperature, too. Pour the syrup over the flowers, lemons et al and stir to combine. Cover the bowl or bucket with a towel and leave it for 2 or 3 days.
• When you are ready, strain it through a fine-meshed sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel into a clean Mason jar. Seal the jar and store in the fridge.
• To serve, pour 1 to 3 tablespoons of the syrup into a pint glass and add water or seltzer. Or you can add a tablespoon to a glass of sparkling wine, or to a couple shots of vodka or gin.

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients in a screw top jar, screw on the lid and shake vigorously until the all the ingredients are incorporated and creamy.
• Serve immediately on baby leaf salad or as a dressing on hot new potatoes, or over fish or baked chicken for an extra yummy treat.

EASY CLASSIC ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

Steps:

• Using a funnel, fill sterilized glass bottles with the liquid.

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL CONCENTRATE

Steps:

• Combine the elderflower heads, sugar, lemon juice, and citric acid in a large acid-proof container. Pour the boiling water over the ingredients and let steep for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Strain the liquid by pouring it through muslin into a large bowl. Ladle into bottles and refrigerate, or pour into freezer containers and freeze.

PRELUDE TO SUMMER - OLD FASHIONED ENGLISH ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

Steps:

• Place the freshly picked elderflowers in a large heatproof bowl or pan (that can be covered or has a lid). Add the sliced lemons. Then add the sugar.
• Pour the boiling water over and add the citric acid - stir all the ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved.
• Make sure the lemon slices and most of the elderflower heads are under the sugar water. Cover and leave in a cool place for 4 days.
• Every day, remove the lid and stir the mixture - pressing the lemon slices gently to extract the juice.
• You should be able to smell the beautiful floral fragrance of the elderflowers after only one day -- if after 4 days you feel there is not enough "floral" flavour to the cordial, leave for a further day.Remember, that this will be diluted to drink or added to other ingredients, so it should be as strong as possible in smell and flavour!
• When you are ready to bottle the cordial, strain through a non-metallic FINE sieve (lined with muslin if necessary - if the sieve is not fine enough) into a large pouring jug or bowl.
• Then pour the cordial into clean and sterile bottles. Seal the bottles and store the cordial in a cool, dark, dry place. This cordial is ready to use/drink now, and it will keep for a very long time if stored in the right conditions. (I have some from 4 years ago and it is still as fragrant and floral as the day I made it!).
• NB: Citric acid can be found in chemists or pharmacists, or in special brewing and wine-making shops/departments. If you cannot source citric acid, use an extra lemon instead.

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

Steps:

• Bring sugar and 2 cups water to a boil, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine lemon juice, zest, and elderflowers. Pour syrup over flower mixture; stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate 1 day. Strain cordial through a fine-mesh sieve; discard flowers. Cordial can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

Steps:

• Inspect the elderflower heads carefully and remove any insects. Place the flower heads in a large bowl together with the orange and lemon zest. Bring 6 1/2 cups of water to a boil and pour over the elderflowers and citrus zest. Cover and leave overnight to infuse.
• Strain the liquid through a jelly strainer bag or piece of cheesecloth (see p. 33) and pour into a saucepan. Add the sugar, the lemon and orange juice, and the citric acid, if using. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Use a funnel to pour the hot syrup into sterilized bottles (see p. 125). Seal the bottles with swing-top lids, sterilized screw-tops, or corks.