Seasonal Elderflower Recipes
Homemade Elderflower Cordial
Made with freshly picked elderflower from the Cavens garden, this cordial is delicious as a refreshing drink (simply add still or sparkling water), added to gin or bubbly for a sweet twist, or used in cooking - see our Elderflower Pannacotta recipe below.
Ingredients:
- 20 elderflowers
- 2 lemons grated and sliced
- 2 pints water
- 4lb sugar(or less according to taste- 2 1/2 to 4lb)
- 2 1/2 (80g) citric acid (available from pharmacies)
Method:
1. Bring the water to boil
2. Add the sugar and dissolve
3. Remove from the heat
4. Add flowers, lemons and citric acid
5. Leave overnight
6. Strain through muslin or fine sieve and bottle
Elderflower Pannacotta
New to the menu at Cavens Country House is Jane's delicious Elderflower Pannacotta. Ours is made using our homemade elderflower cordial (see above), but you can use shop bought to save time.
Ingredients:
- 500ml double cream
- 450ml full fat milk
- 50ml elderflower cordial
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 vanilla pods
- 5 gelatine leaves
Method:
1. Pop gelatine leaves in a bowl with cold water to soften.
2. Heat the milk and cream together with seeds from the vanilla pods, while just about boiling.
3. Remove from heat and add caster sugar.
4. Squeeze water from the gelatine leaves and add one by one.
5. Then pour mixture through a sieve into a second bowl and add the elderflower cordial, stirring or whisking quickly as the lemons in the cordial make the cream milk mix thicken.
6. Place bowl into a second bowl of ice to cool quickly
7. When beginning to set pour into serving glasses.
8. Top with gooseberry compote or strawberries and serve!
Dining at Cavens Country House, Dumfries and Galloway
Our restaurant menus are updated regularly, with all dishes freshly prepared with locally sourced ingredients by Cavens owners, husband and wife team, Angus and Jane. See our latest menu on our dining pages.