Home-made elderflower curd

My beautiful sambucus nigra is still blooming, so I was on the lookout for another recipe in which I could use the flowers. These days, I find so much inspiration on Instagram; one of my Insta-buddies had just posted a photo of some delicious-looking elderflower curd she’d made, so I thought I’d give that a go.

She used the wild variety of elderflower which has delicate off white flowers however, the flowers on mine are tinged purple. I wondered how that would affect the colour of the resulting curd. I was worried that it would turn out a sludgy brown, but I needn’t have been apprehensive. It had a slight pinkish blush to the usual yellow colour.

This recipe makes a single, average-sized jar, but you can easily multiply the quantities. If you don’t think that you’ll consume all the curd in a week or two, make sure that you thoroughly sterilise all your post-cooking equipment; jars, lids, jelly bag/sieve, spoon/spatula, funnel etc. Simply boil them up in a large jam pan/saucepan of water.

The taste was gorgeous; rich and fragrant. So far, we’ve had it on fruit scones, but it would be perfect in sandwiches, toast or between the layers of a Victoria sponge. This is definitely an elderflower recipe I’ll be returning to every summer.

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Elderflower curd

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Cook Time 1

Course Condiment

Cuisine British

Ingredients

3 large or 6 small elderflower heads you can use either white or pink flowers
50 g/1¾oz unsalted butter
200 g/7oz white granulated sugar
1½ lemons zest & juice
2 eggs

Instructions

Sterilise a lidded jam jar, jelly bag or sieve, spatula and measuring jug. Set aside for the end
Put all the ingredients except the eggs into a saucepan over a low heat. Stir until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved
Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl and allow the contents to cool slightly (about 5 minutes)
In the meantime, bring a saucepan of water to a simmer (ensure the heatproof bowl can sit on top of the saucepan without the water coming into contact with the base)
Add the eggs to the mixture and put the heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan of simmering water
Stir occasionally until the mixture thickens to the consistency of custard (about 45 minutes)
Pour the mixture through the sterilised jelly bag/sieve into the measuring jug. Push the contents through using the spatula, if necessary
Transfer the curd into the sterilised jar and cover immediately with the lid. Allow to cool completely before using

Keyword curd, elderflower, forage

Cakes & Bakes: Yeasted flat breads

Because of the continuing hot weather, we’ve still not turned on our oven this week. That doesn’t mean I can’t produce any home-made bread, though. I’ve brought out my trusty cast iron griddle stone once again to make some delicious yeasted flat breads on our induction hob.

Many flat breads are yeast-free so can be rustled up in a matter of minutes. However, I had ample time today to spend on making these and waiting an hour or so for the dough to rise.

I bought a marble board a few years ago, and I can attest that it’s hard to beat for rolling out dough and pastry with ease.

The recipe makes 8 flat breads. If, like us, you don’t need that many at one sitting, you can simply cook, cool and freeze the extra for a later date.

These lovely, soft breads are so versatile; they’re perfect as an accompaniment to curry, Mexican fajita wraps or alongside dips such as hummus or baba ganoush.

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Yeasted flat breads

Andy Baraghani

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Course Bread

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings 8

Ingredients

1½ tsp sugar
180 ml/6fl oz warm water
7 g/2¼tsp active dry yeast
350 g/12½oz plain or strong bread flour
140 g/5oz full fat plain Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp fine salt

Instructions

In a measuring jug, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Stir in the yeast and allow to sit until foamy (about 10 minutes)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the yoghurt, olive oil and yeast mixture. Bring together to form a shaggy dough
Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or a reusable elasticated food cover and allow the dough to sit in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour)
Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Form the pieces into balls and, working with one ball at a time, roll each out into 15cm/6" rounds about ½cm/¼" thick
Brush a little olive oil on a large cast iron skillet/griddle stone and bring up to a medium-high heat
Working one at a time, cook each flat bread until bubbles appear over the surface (about a minute). Flip and cook until cooked through (about 1 more minute). Continue to cook, turning often, until browned in spots on both sides (about a minute longer)
Transfer to a plate and wrap up in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm and soft. Repeat with each of the other balls of dough

To serve: brush each flat bread with a little olive oil

Keyword bread, flat bread, flatbread, yeasted bread

Cakes & Bakes: Jammy cornmeal griddle cakes

This past week or so has been so warm, we’ve not had our wood-fired range cooker running. That means I couldn’t produce an oven-cooked recipe for this week’s Cakes & Bakes post; no cake, no bread. Jammy cornmeal griddle cakes are a delicious brunch dish cooked on a stove top using a griddle stone or cast iron frying pan.

Using half cornmeal and half wheat flour gives the pancakes a unique flavour. Buttermilk & bicarb rather than ‘plain’ cow’s milk gives the texture a softness and lightness.

A little swirl of jam takes the griddle cakes to a different level; we used some home-made blackcurrant jam, but you can use any other to your liking – strawberry, raspberry, apricot, plum… If your jam is a little thick, simply mix it with a couple of teaspoons of water to get a thinner consistency.

Serve your stack of cornmeal griddle cakes with a knob of butter on top or with extra jam or maple syrup drizzled over.

Click here or on the image below to save the recipe to Pinterest

Jammy cornmeal griddle cakes

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Course Breakfast

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

100 g/3½oz cornmeal either fine or coarse
100 g/3½oz plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
200 ml/7fl oz buttermilk
50 g/1¾oz unsalted butter melted, plus extra for the skillet
2 eggs beaten
2 tbsp jam we used blackcurrant, but feel free to use any other fruit

Instructions

Preheat your griddle/ large cast iron frying pan over a low heat. Rub a bit of butter all over it
In a large measuring jug, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, bicarb and salt. Make a well in the centre
In a medium measuring jug, pour in the buttermilk. Add the melted butter and stir to combine
Pour the buttermilk/butter mixture and beaten egg into the well in the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to bring the mixture together
Spoon in the jam and swirl it through a little. Don't over-mix, a few lumps of flour is fine
Once the griddle is hot, pour/ladle on approx. 3tbsp/50ml of the mixture into a round shape. Allow the griddle cake to cook for a couple of minutes. When bubbles begin to form and the top begins to dry out around the edges towards the middle, flip over and cook the other side for another minute. Repeat until all the batter is used

jammy cornmeal griddle cakes ingredients

Serve with extra jam, a pat of butter or maple syrup

Keyword cornmeal, griddle cakes

Pecan toffee ice cream

With all this warm, sunny weather, there’s only one thing on my mind… home-made ice cream! I got my trusty Cuisineart machine out of the loft this week and made us some pecan toffee ice cream.

First off, I made the toffee. This step takes no more than 10 minutes and the toffee can be made days in advance, if needed, just store it in an airtight container until needed.

You can make the toffee with other types of nuts if you prefer; Brazils, macadamias, almonds (use almond extract instead of vanilla paste/extract in the ice cream recipe), peanuts, walnuts… or a mixture of nuts.

Second, I made a basic vanilla ice cream mixture. Once churned, I stirred in the bashed up pecan toffee – don’t forget to set aside a few shards for decoration.

If you’re anything like me, you like to add even more toppings to your ice cream – chocolate, butterscotch, maple or caramel syrups are all good… chocolate chips or chunks are even better!

Click here or on the image below to save my recipe to Pinterest

Pecan toffee ice cream

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

For the pecan toffee

100 g pecan halves
50 g butter
150 g granulated sugar
1 tbsp water

For the ice cream

180 ml/6 fl oz/¾ cup full fat milk
140 g/5oz/⅔ cup granulated sugar
300 ml/10½ fl oz/1½ cups double cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, to taste

Instructions

For the pecan toffee

Grease & line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Lay out the pecan halves on the prepared sheet. Put the sheet of pecans next to, or actually on, the stove-top
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (a cast iron skillet would be ideal) over a medium heat, add the butter sugar and water. Stir to until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved
Turn the heat up to high and allow the mixture to bubble and begin to evaporate. Do not stir during this stage
Keep a close eye and nose on the bubbling mixture, you're looking for the colour to start turning brown to begin smelling like caramel. It can get to this stage and suddenly go over in an instant and begin to burn. Just as you think the mixture is at this point, pour it carefully over the pecans. Be very careful, the mixture is exceedingly hot and sticky
Allow to cool completely
Break up into fairly large shards. Set aside 6 of these shards and put the rest of the pecan toffee into a large mixing bowl
Using a large pestle (or the end of a rolling pin, like I did) grind the toffee into smaller pieces - not quite a powder, you want small chunks
Set aside while you make the ice cream

For the ice cream

In a large saucepan over a very low heat add the milk and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside and allow to cool completely
Stir in the cream and the vanilla paste/extract
Pour the mixture into your ice cream machine and churn following the manufacturer's instructions
A couple of minutes before the end of the churning process, with the machine still turning, spoon in the ground pecan toffee
When the toffee has been combined well into the ice cream, turn the mixture out into a 1-litre lidded tub and put into the freezer to 'ripen' for at least a couple of hours

To serve: Scoop portions out into bowls or coupes and garnish with the reserved shards

Keyword ice cream, pecans, toffee

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: recipe

Home-made elderflower curd

Elderflower curd

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: Yeasted flat breads

Yeasted flat breads

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: Jammy cornmeal griddle cakes

Jammy cornmeal griddle cakes

Ingredients

Instructions

Pecan toffee ice cream

Pecan toffee ice cream

Ingredients

For the pecan toffee

For the ice cream

Instructions

For the pecan toffee

For the ice cream