This week I am bringing a not-so-Latin American flower. As a Pastry Chef living in England, I have succumbed to these spring-scented flowers and as they are in season I wanted to write about them. Elderflower is commonly found across the Northern Hemisphere, but not so frequent in the Southern Hemisphere. Despite their scarcity, I have seen elderflowers in south Chile (also known as flor de sauco in Spanish). The weather in the south of Chile and Argentina is very similar to the UK so they also thrive in those regions. Elderflower trees are not very demanding and live almost anywhere, this is why they are the perfect flower to forage. In Cambridge, it grows profusely, and at this time of the year their scent comes in first, whether you are walking or cycling it is a delight to find them everywhere.
On foraging
I am by no means an expert forager, but over the years I have found my favourite spots and try to go every year.
When you forage you are trying to give something back, it is not the same as harvesting, it is a way of learning about nature, seasons and ecosystems. Nature has its logic and once you learn how to recognize it, to understand the soil and the microorganisms it almost feels as if you are one with nature.
Getting out more often and interacting with plants, the wind, insects, mountains and with your knowledge help build a more sustainable environment, one where the kitchen and nature could be one.
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For all edible flowers, I find it best to go in the morning and catch them while they are super fragrant. If you can go on a cloudy day when the sun is not scorching the flowers you get even more of their scent. Grab a pair of scissors and a basket, try to get the ones without aphids or bugs. I have realized that the bugs start showing up later in the season, so if you can go as soon as possible then you might be lucky and find completely pristine flowers. Elderflowers have the tiniest blossoms, try to pick the ones that have just opened, because they will be more fragrant and delicate in flavour.
Avoid picking them alongside busy roads, as the flowers absorb traffic fumes, opt for hedgerows in more natural settings if possible. Also avoid the blossoms at the bottom, because it's more likely that animals have maybe pissed nearby.
There are other very similar flowers that when looked from afar you might confuse them. I have learned that Hawthorn flowers are the most similar, but there are a few ways you can differentiate them. First is their lack of sweet scent, the flowers are larger and the anthers are brown instead of yellow. Finally, elderflowers have very distinctive leaf shapes (see the picture).
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On cooking with elderflower
Over the years I have learnt how to use it and understood what all the fuzz was about. I started making cordials, and later on, I experimented with making kombucha (without much success), sorbets, ice cream, sabayon, pate de fruit, marshmallows, tarts, pannacotta, vinegar and so on… Some with success and some without. This week, I thought about sharing my elderflower cordial recipe, but there are quite a few around, especially at this time of the year. So, instead, I am bringing you two recipes that have been proofed and tested in professional kitchens and my home; an elderflower ice cream and an elderflower with lemon budnt cake.
I had read that pink elderflowers are poisonous, but after doing some research I couldn’t find anything more than if you eat a lot of them raw they could potentially make you feel bad. However, I have cooked with them (I made a syrup which I then used for marshmallows). Their flavour is not as intense as white elderflowers, but the colour is brilliant, so maybe if you mix both it could give good results.
The one thing I have never understood about elderflower recipes in the UK is the measurement of elderflowers, most recipes talk about elderflower heads. I prefer to measure in grams because not all elderflower heads are the same. This might sound too much, but as someone who didn’t grow up with elderflower recipes, I struggled with understanding the measurement. However, while doing my recipes, I am not too fussed about only using flowers, a few stalks here and there are fine.
Another thing many recipes recommend is washing the flowers… I did do it once and don’t recommend it. You lose a lot of the fragrant pollen and, therefore flavour. But if you do have too many bugs, try to get rid of them or maybe go look for flowers that are bug-free.
Different desserts over the years: Elderflower and strawberries panna cotta, cordial, peach compote and elderflower sorbet with meringue and a vegan cremeux And on to this week’s recipes… try to go eat and forage some elderflowers and enjoy the breeze and then jump into the kitchen to have fun.
Elderflower Ice Cream
Ingredients
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