Elderflowers

Big and strongly perfumed this year...could it be the British weather? Rain...cool ..even some may say...cold and miserable...?
Yes...but...
Is that why the elderflowers are so lovely, fig are "afigging" and the strawberries are bursting...oh and even the cherry tree has excelled itself!?
Well whatever the reason it means that the annual making of the Elderflower syrup can begin.

So this morning my dear friend in Criccieth... north Wales... put up this great recipe for the syrup.
I don't usually make the cordial as I find that I can store syrup in yoghurt pots in the freezer and always add some tonic or soda water afterwards.

The Recipe...

ELDERFLOWER SYRUP

Ingredients

 900 g sugar

 600 ml water

 12 heads elderflowers, picked of any bugs but not washed

 2 lemons, 1 thickly zested, 1 sliced

Method

1. Dissolve the sugar in the water to make a syrup. 

 

                                                                                                                                       2
2. Put the elderflower heads into a bowl with the thickly pared lemon zest and lemon slices. 

3. Pour over the boiling syrup, cover and leave overnight. 

4. Strain through muslin and bottle the elderflower syrup. ...or pot and freeze.

Serving suggestions

 Champagne and elderflower jelly: warm champagne with elderflower syrup to taste – don’t boil. Add softened gelatine leaves (9 leaves for 600ml of liquid) and leave to set in the fridge.

Elderflower granite: balance the sweetness of the elderflower syrup with some lemon juice and water. Freeze the mixture in a shallow tray and break up with a fork when half frozen. Serve with spoons.

 Elderflower champagne: add a drop of elderflower syrup to a glass of chilled champagne. Scatter with a few elderflowers. 

I haven't made the jelly...jello for my US friends...but the granite and champagne are ...

DELISH!

Yeast!

So....what to do on a dank, drear, Sunday afternoon in late January.....?

(apart from give birth to first child!)

(well... 42 years ago)

...any way...

....well of course...think of sun, warmth and perhaps...

...Italy!

The recipe in the newspaper was for Foccaccia......have I spelled it right? ...hope so.

Anyway, neither of us are feeling grand, a bit creaky and achey

...so how to cheer ourselves up......

....bake a bit of sunshine.

First thing get the yeast out of the store cupboard and mix it with some luke-warm water...

....hmmmm...best to check the BB date...

.oooops

....october 1998!!

  

Maybe start again!

(do you like that bowl?...the potter made it for me... oh...probably more than 30 years ago...he would throw it out,

"that old thing"

but I won't let him. )

righty ho...and we are off and running...or at least off and baking...

...we think...( the unroyal we of the potter and me)...that the gorgeous Paul Hollywood  would be proud of us as we get our hands deep into the bowls and mix....

"Feel the mixture Mary!"

I'd forgotten how long the waiting is in between each of the pummellings and risings.....you need to have something else to be busy with on a bread baking day ...we decided!

but to our surprise ...the dough rose...

 

 

...more kneading needed....see what I did there?!

...into the tins and sprinkle on the rosemary and sea salt...

...I put a few olives on the top as well.

Oh and don't forget the dimples potter!

...the bread baked ...

...and the family ate and pronounced...

..."This is good"!

There you go.

...and did you know that the name rosemary is really ros maris.......dew of the sea...

...there you are lovely sister!