Emiko's Elderflower & Polenta Cookies

I've decided to start a new series of recipe reviews. Each month I'll pick a recipe that has been posted online on a blog, website, newspaper or somewhere else. It might be a recipe that intrigues me, an unusual process, something that I can't imagine the texture or flavour of or just something that I really want to eat. I'll make it, photograph the process, honestly tell you what I think and link to the recipe.

To start, I have a Pinterest board filled with recipes I'd like to try. If there's one you're particularly interested in, like it on the board and I'll take it into account.

I'd also love to hear if you have any new suggestions - if you could leave a note with a link in the comments or send me an email that would be wonderful.



So, for July: Polenta and Elderflower Cookies by Emiko Davies.

This recipe easily covers the 'intrigued', 'unusual process' and 'can't imagine the texture or flavour' categories.

Emiko is one of my favourite bloggers. She lived in Florence for many years before moving to Melbourne with her Italian husband and baby daughter. This recipe comes from Artusi's 1891 cookbook, Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well, a source of many of Emiko's recipes. I always learn something from her posts - without fail, they're both beautiful and intelligent.

Every year, I make my family's elderflower cordial recipe (the photo above is of this year's batch). It's one of my favourite drinks and a ritual I look forward to. Before I read Emiko's post, I didn't know you could cook with dried elderflower - I'd only heard of cordials, syrups, wines and other drinks.



In the comments, we had a chat about how to get dried elderflower - Emiko bought hers as high-quality tea but I was wondering if I could dry my own.

So, when I went out to collect the flowers for my cordial, I picked a few extra to dry (the same rules apply - make sure it's from a secluded spot away from traffic with healthy, creamy-white flowers). I used a needle and thread to string them up by the stem between the handle of my window and a nail in the wall that I hang a lovely Dutch cake tin on (here's another photo). After a few days they seemed to have dried out - in the end, I left them for a week.

Once I'd taken them down, I gently stripped the flowers off the stalks with my fingers. It was a bit of a pain - the dried stalks snap easily and fall into the bowl - but in the end I had heap of flowers in the bottom with a film of pollen coating the china.



The recipe is simple - you cream the butter and sugar, add an egg yolk, then stir in the polenta and elderflower. The dough is then rolled out, cut and baked until golden. The mixture is easy to work with - as it has no gluten, you can reshape and roll without worrying.

The final texture is, for lack of a better word, gritty - but that's surprisingly pleasant, in a crunchy sort of way. I think if I make them again I might use a mix of polenta and flour, to balance out but still maintain the crunch.

I thought they tasted best straight out of the oven. The flavour of the elderflower is distinctive and recognisable from the cordials but slightly dustier and, well, dried. It reminds me of the difference in smell and taste between fresh and dried herbs. I ate one with a cup of Earl Grey and the elderflower really pulled out the bergamot flavour, which I don't normally notice.

In conclusion: a fun experiment, an unusual texture and a new way of using elderflower.



Some notes on the recipe:

- I halved the recipe as I only dried four heads of elderflower. I'm not sure exactly how much the dried elderflower weighed but I had a small handful overall and I used it all. I made eleven cookies from the dough.

- I used precotta instantanea polenta, as that was finer than the bramata, which was the only other type I could find. I had to go to an Italian deli - I couldn't find it in the supermarket except as a ready-cooked slab.

- I used icing sugar and unsalted butter (I was going to add a pinch of salt but forgot). I didn't need to add water.

- My butter was a bit warm as it was a hot day so I chilled my dough for 15 minutes to cool it down before I rolled it out.

- They took 10 minutes to cook.



Three other posts where I've linked to the recipe:
Seed Cake
Chez Panisse Almond Tart
Cumin and Lemon Cookies

Sparkling Elderflower and Summer Fruit Jellies

I've been wanting to make jellies for ages. So much so that my friends bought me some jelly moulds for my birthday. My plan was to make a version of some of the champagne/white wine and fruit recipes using elderflower cordial. Term ran out before I managed to make them (and I drank all the cordial we had in the flat). 

Then we made homemade Elderflower Cordial the other day. The time had come to make my jellies!

To work out the recipe, I filled each mould with water, then poured it into a measuring jug. The capacity was 500ml. Then I tipped all my fruit into the jug and measured the water displaced - about 200ml. I therefore needed 300ml of elderflower solution to fill the moulds.  I made the elderflower solution slightly stronger than I would drink it to make sure the flavour came through, which worked. 

They didn't turn out perfectly, with some little bits sticking to the mould - any tips? I've thought about increasing the gelatine, maybe by half a leaf or so - I don't like rubbery jelly so I don't want to add too much more. 

All in all, though, I was very pleased with these. They tasted great and lasted for several days in the fridge without the fruit going off.  Mum even reckoned they were better on the second day. They have a light sparkle of bubbles - not as many as with champagne jellies, but it gives the jelly some life.  As a dessert for a hot summer day that's not frozen, they're perfect - light, refreshing and delicious. 

Sparkling Elderflower and Summer Fruit Jellies

Edit: I've removed the recipe as I'm not happy with it and don't want you to try it and be disappointed.

Elderflower Cordial

To me, Elderflower Cordial is as reminiscent of English summer as Pimms, Strawberries and Cream or Wimbledon. 

I first made Elderflower Cordial with my Brownies group (see Irish Tea Bread) when I was about eight. I don't remember the specifics, but I remember walking down the little pathway near the village hall where we met and it being full of trees laden with the glorious clusters of blossoms. 

The other day as we were heading down the valley to investigate a new supermarket that had opened, we spotted a series of big bushes heavy with flowers by the riverside. They were also quite far off the road, which is important - you don't want Exhaust Fume Cordial. 

On the way back, we pulled over and started picking. As they were on the riverbank, I had to hold mum by her waist as she leant in off the bank to pick them. We had a few incidents where we started laughing so much we almost lost balance.  Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me, so I don't have any pictures. We filled my pink cardigan with blooms and set off home.

As a child, my mum was told that when you make Elderflower Cordial (or champagne) you should only pick blooms that are in the full sunlight. I'm not sure if there's any reason for this, but we stuck to it anyway. 

When we got back, I realised we didn't have any citric acid, so had to pop up to the pharmacy to get some - most pharmacies should be able to sell you some, or a wine making shop. 

It's important that the syrup isn't boiling as you pour it over the flowers, as it can scorch them.

I'm so pleased we made some - it's much better than shop bought (and I don't know that I've seen it here).  It's such a delicate and wonderful flavour and doesn't take much work at all.

My favourite way to drink Elderflower Cordial is with sparkling water that has been chilling in the fridge (Pellegrino is the best as far as I'm concerned, but that might just be brand loyalty on my part!). Sometimes a bit of ice or a slice or two of lemon is nice too. 

Elderflower Cordial

(A family recipe)

1.2 kg granulated sugar

1 ltr water

1 lemon

25 heads of elderflower (about)

50g citric acid

Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Take off the heat and stir in the citric acid. While it cools, shake the elderflower heads gently to remove bugs/any other debris. Put them in a large bowl. Take strips of rind off the lemon and put them in too, followed by the lemon itself, cut into chunks. When the sugar syrup has cooled to warm, pour over the flowers and lemons. Stir, then cover with a tea towel and leave overnight (I stirred mine a few times). 

The next day, get another big bowl and line a sieve with a piece of muslin (or similar) over the top. Pour the contents of the bowl into it, making sure it doesn't overflow. Stir it around a bit to let the last bits through, then pull together the muslin and gently squeeze. Throw away the contents. Funnel into a sterilized bottle or container and keep in the fridge. It also freezes very well in plastic bottles or boxes. 

(Makes about 1.5 litres)