Châtaignes du Mont Aiveu à Fontainebleau, route Biron

It's elderflower cordial season once again!

There seem to be as many uses for elderflower cordial/champagne as recipes. Apart from adding a splash to fruit sorbets and tarts, it can be added to a vinaigrette dressing, cake batters and apparently is delicious with chicken breasts. The Cordial is ideal for warm summer days & the Champaign, which is normally ready  for Christmas.  After being introduced to elderflower champagne some five years ago I was determined to and in fact managed to make my own and so could you!

Every spring I set out to go picking Elderflowers, you should pick heads from higher branches if possible. Before you pick your flowers, make syrup to your taste. Bring the water to boil, dissolve the sugar and reduce the mix into syrup. Allow the syrup to cool.  You will also need lemons & if you want figs or another fruit & citric acid.  Shake the elderflowers to expel any lingering insects and remove and drop the flowers into the cooled syrup. Peel the lemon rind and squeeze the lemons. Add the lemon rind and juice into the mix and allow standing at room temperature for a day. Some people add citric acid at this point, to get a tart taste. The next day, strain a part of the syrup through a sieve lined with a new cloth. Pour the cordial into thoroughly cleaned glass bottles and keep them in a cool place. They keep well in a cold area and will mature into champagne if kept at room temperature.

To make the Elderflower champagne, I usually throw in a few ripe figs or cherries and allow the mixture to stand for four days. Then strain the starter for the champagne into bottles and keep them in a cupboard at room temperature. 

Here is the list of ingredients:

    1.5 litres of boiling water

    1 kilo of white granulated sugar

    20 large elderflower heads (if they are small, pick more)

    4 lemons

   Optional (100g figs/cherries; 55g of citric acid)