Elderflower Sorbet
Elderflower Sorbet celebrates the heady, floral perfume of freshly foraged elderflowers at their June peak, conjuring a scoop that feels like a sunlit English hedgerow. Lightly exotic yet utterly homegrown, the sorbet is bright and floral with a clean, refreshing finish that cools the palate. A tiny reminder to avoid busy roads when foraging, and a nudge to pick only open, fresh heads, shaking or a quick rinse usually removes any unwelcome insect guests and a paper towel helps too.
The flavour is captured by steeping the tiny flowers in a hot sugar syrup to draw out their scent, then straining before churning in an ice cream maker or freezing and agitating by hand. The result is an elegant, crystalline sorbet, silky yet light, with lemon brightness cutting through the blossom sweetness. Ideal as a palate cleanser between courses, a sunny dessert, or a sophisticated refresher on a warm afternoon.
Cook: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 litre water
- 700g caster sugar
- 8 elderflower heads
- zest from 3 lemons
Method
- Sugar Syrup: Place the sugar and water in a large saucepan over a moderate high heat, stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and bring the syrup to the boil then reduce the heat slightly so that the syrup is at a steady simmer. Allow the syrup to simmer for 5 minutes so that it has thickened.
- Remove the sugar syrup from the heat and add the elderflower and lemon zest. Leave to infuse until the syrup has cooled.
- Sorbet: Strain the syrup and pour into an ice-cream maker and prepare according to manufactures instructions or
- To Serve: Remove the sorbet from the freezer 10 minutes before serving
Recipe
