Elderflower champagne

Use empty plastic water bottles, which should be sterile.

 

36 elderflower heads

1 lemon

680g caster sugar or granulated sugar works fine too

2tbsp white wine vinegar

4.5 litres water

 

Make sure there are as few insects as possible on your elderflowers. 

 

Put them in a clean bucket along with the juice of the lemon, its rind without any pith, sugar and vinegar.

Add the cold water and leave 24 hours.

 

Stir from time to time to dissolve sugar.

 

Strain through muslin into sterilised bottles.  Screw on tops.

 

Leave 2 weeks.  Check fizziness and let off excess build-up.

Elderflower Drizzle Cake

 

I made this today from a recipe in the Guardian - yummy and very seasonal.  It's very rich and would be lovely as a pudding with fruit and a dollop of cream. I love simple recipes and this is very simple, being basically a Victoria sandwich with drizzle topping - but the end result is so much more.  My cakes don't seem to be rising very well at the moment, so I added 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda to make it lighter. 

 

Serves 6-8

225g butter, softened

225g caster sugar

4 large eggs

225g self raising flour, sifted

(raising agents - see above)

For the icing

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

100ml elderflower cordial

2 tbsp sugar

1 Line a loaf tin with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one by one. Incorporate the flour and mix well, until smooth and creamy.

2 Turn into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, until well-risen and golden brown on top.

3 Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then prick all over with a skewer or fork.

4 Heat the elderflower cordial, lemon juice and sugar in a pan until hot, but not boiling. Drizzle over the cake, encouraging it to run into the sink holes. It should sink in and leave a crunchy crust.

 

Pasted from <http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/22/get-togethers-finninsh-feast>

Rhubarb wine

This is my favourite home-made wine as it makes a very drinkable white wine which is not too sweet, unlike many fruit wines.  Rhubarb is also usually so bountiful if you grow it yourself, and you can usually cadge some off a neighbour if you don't.   It's very easy to propagate by digging up and replanting part of the plant.  This wine was a great hit at the summer fruit evening last year and I'm glad I made 20 litres of it.

Here's my recipe:

3 pounds rhubarb
3 pounds white sugar
1 gallon hot water (doesn't have to be boiling)
wine yeast

or for a larger metric quantity:

4 kilos rhubarb
4 kilos of sugar
13.5 litres water
wine yeast.

Method:

Pick the rhubarb and then chop it up and put in the freezer in plastic bags for a few days.  This breaks down the cells and releases the juice when the wine is made.  It's an essential step so don't miss it out. 
Put the rhubarb in a primary fementor (large bucket) and cover with the sugar.  Leave for 24 hours.
Add the hot water (doesn't need to be boiling) and mix.  Then strain out the rhubarb and put the liquid back into the primary fermentor and when it is luke warm add the yeast.  Cover and leave for 3 - 4 days, then syphon the liquid into demi-johns with air locks.  Leave to ferment.  Rack it into new demi-johns after around a month as there will be a lot of sediment.
Bottle up around 6 months, and then it's best to drink after about a year.  
The two year old wine that we are drinking at the moment is also good.

 

Fruit Leathers

Blackberry & apple leather

This recipe comes from Pam Corbin, aka Pam The Jam, the author of River Cottage Handbook No 2: Preserves.  They are so more-ish - I'm going to have to hide them to stop then being polished off by the children.  Jo and I had fun rolling them up into fun shapes.  We made apple and blackcurrant and apple and raspberry.  Fresh from the garden.

Her fruit leathers are addictively simple to make – once you've made one, you'll soon be experimenting (apricots, plums and peaches all make good leathers). Cut off strips to add a healthy, fruity punch to lunchboxes and picnics. Makes two sheets.
500g blackberries
500g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
150g honey
A little groundnut oil, for greasing
Preheat the oven to very low – 60C/gas mark ⅛ is good, though the lowest setting you can manage is fine. Put the blackberries, apples and lemon juice in a pan, cook gently, partially covered at first, until soft and pulpy, about 20 minutes. Rub through a sieve or mouli into a bowl – you should have about 700g smooth purée. Mix in the honey.
Divide between two baking sheets lined with oiled baking parchment or foil, spreading out the purée thickly with a spatula until the sheets are covered with a smooth, even layer about 5mm deep. Bake for 10-12 hours, until it is completely dry and peels off easily. Roll up in greaseproof paper or clingfilm, store in an airtight container in a cool place and use within four months; or freeze it, well sealed, for up to a year.

This is what the leather looks like when it's peeled off the tray.

Summer jewels

Picked today to make fruit leathers

Courgette soup

This is the easiest soup in the world, which can be rustled up at the last minute with any glut of courgettes that invariably come in summer. You can even leave out the potato if you want a quicker soup.  Even avid courgette haters love this one - and you can have good fun asking people to guess what the soup is, as it tastes much more exotic than courgettes.

Serves: 6

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 large courgettes, chopped
• 3 large potatoes, chopped
• 375ml water, to cover
• 2 veg stock cubes
• 3 tablespoons cream (optional)
• salt and pepper

Preparation method
Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 20 mins 

1.

Saute onion, courgette and potato with a tablespoon of butter.

2.

Add enough water to cover, add stock cubes and cook until veg is tender.

3.

Blend and mash the veg (with fluid still in pot). Add the cream to taste (put more in if you prefer it creamier).

4.

Serve with salt and pepper to taste

Caramelised onion, lettuce and cheese quiche

• PASTRY
• 250g of plain (all purpose) flour
• a pinch of sea salt
• 125g of chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• about 75ml of cold milk
• FILLING
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 4 gem (baby cos) lettuce hearts, trimmed and quartered
• 15g of butter
• 250g of spring onions, trimmed and cut into chunky slices
• 100g of cheddar or hard goats cheese, grated
• 2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
• 250ml of double cream
• 200ml of milk
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to season

Instructions

1. Start by making the pastry. Using a food processor add the flour, salt and butter to the bowl of the food processor and process until the butter resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add the milk, little by little, until the pastry just comes together. Turn out onto a piece of cling film and form into a disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius (350 fahrenheit) and roll out the pastry until it’s quite thin and large enough to line a 25cm tart tin. Line the tart tin and trim the edges.
4. Line with foil and top with beans or pie weights and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minuts, or until the pastry is just starting to colour.
5. To make the filling, place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Add the lettuce and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the cut surface of the lettuce is just beginning to colour before adding the butter. Cook until the butter is melted and then using a slotted spoon remove from the pan and arrange in the tart shell.
6. Reduce the heat and add the spring onions to the pan and saute gently for 5 minutes before adding to the tart shell.
7. Top the lettuce and spring onions with the grated cheese.
8. Add the eggs to a bowl and lightly whisk before adding the cream and milk. Whisk until combined and season generously with salt and pepper before pouring into the tart shell.
9. Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

To make rolling the pastry out easier roll between two sheets of baking paper. Once you have rolled the pastry out to size remove the top layer of baking paper but keep the pastry on the bottom piece of paper. Lift up the paper and use the paper to assist you with lining the tart case. Press the pastry into the case while still stuck to the paper and once you have it lined finally remove the paper. If you find it difficult to remove the paper simply place the pastry in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, or until the pastry has stiffened and the paper should come away easily

Thanks to River Cottage veg for the recipe.

Rhubarb and lemon tart

Made by Jo for a bring and share lunch. The pastry is like a sponge but made from Quinoa.  It was delicious and almost like a sponge.  Can we have the recipe Jo?

Eton Mess

Made by Helen for a bring and share lunch with home-grown strawberries.

Elderflower cordial

I made a mega batch of Elderflower cordial today - 4 times the quantity which meant picking 160 elderflower heads, which was actually very quick. The main difficulty is sourcing the citric acid, which always seems to run out at this time of year. The best and cheapest way to get it is on the internet where you can get 500g bags delivered next day. It also avoid the hassle of being asked in a chemist what you are using it for. Apparently it is used to cut drugs, but the thought of hoardes of middle aged ladies being asked what their purchases are for in May and June always makes me smile.

Here's the recipe:

Makes 1.5 litres

20 heads elderflowers

1.8kg of granulated sugar or caster sugar
1.2 litres water
2 unwaxed lemons
75g citric acid

1. Shake the elderflowers to expel any lingering insects, and then place in a large bowl.

2. Put the sugar into a pan with the water and bring up to the boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.

3. While the sugar syrup is heating, pare the zest of the lemons off in wide strips and toss into the bowl with the elderflowers. Slice the lemons, discard the ends, and add the slices to the bowl. Pour over the boiling syrup, and then stir in the citric acid. Cover with a cloth and then leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

4. Next day, strain the cordial through a sieve lined with muslin (or a new j-cloth rinsed out in boiling water), and pour into thoroughly cleaned glass or plastic bottles. Screw on the lids and pop into the cupboard ready to use.

Cook's Notes: To serve Elderflower Cordial: Dilute the elderflower cordial to taste with fizzy water, and serve over ice with a slice or two of lemon, or a sprig of mint floating on top.

For something a touch more sprightly, add a shot of gin or vodka and a lemon slice, or add it to white wine and sparkling water to make an elderflower spritzer.

Elderflower cordial is also brilliant in recipes such as gooseberry fool, and in vinaigrette - mix with wine vinegar, a touch of mustard, salt, pepper and a light olive oil (surprisingly good with a courgette, lettuce and broad bean salad). You might even try adding it to a marinade for chicken breasts. Try it in sorbets, or ice-creams, or just spooned over scoops of vanilla ice-cream, or use it to sweeten and flavour the fruit for a crumble.

I use screw top wine or cordial bottles which have been sterilised. To keep the cordial for longer I drip candle wax around the screw top to make an air-tight seal.