We still get a thrill from picking what we call ‘hedgerow freebies’. If you live in the city, you might well find elder trees in your local park. They flower late May to mid-June, so keep your eyes peeled!
SERVES 8
INGREDIENTS
❤ 200ml elderflower cordial
❤ 1.5kg trimmed young pink rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
❤ 250g caster sugar
❤ 10g (about 5.5 small sheets) leaf gelatin For the elderflower cream:
❤ 300ml double cream
❤ 300ml whole milk
❤ 45g caster sugar
❤ 6 tbsp elderflower cordial
❤ 6g (about 3 small sheets) leaf gelatin
1 Put the elderflower cordial, rhubarb, sugar and 150ml water into a large pan, cover and cook gently over a medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until the fruit is soft but not falling apart. Tip the mixture into a muslin-lined sieve set over a bowl and leave to drain. You should end up with about 800ml juice. Set 600g of the cooked rhubarb aside in a mixing bowl.
2 For the jelly, soak the gelatin in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Warm 150ml of the rhubarb juice in a small pan and take it off the heat. Lift the gelatin out of the water, squeeze out the excess water, add it to the warmed juice and leave it to dissolve. Stir this mix back into the rest of the rhubarb juice, then stir 6 tablespoons gently into the cooked rhubarb, reserving the rest. Spoon the rhubarb equally into 8 glass tumblers, cover and chill for 1 hour.
3 For the elderflower cream, put the cream, milk and sugar into a pan and warm very gently over a gentle heat to dissolve the sugar. Put the elderflower cordial in a small pan and warm this gently too. Meanwhile, soak the leaf gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes, remove, squeeze out the excess water and add it to the warmed cordial. Remove from the heat and leave to dissolve, then stir into the cream and milk.
4 Remove the tumblers from the fridge and pour over a layer of the cream. Chill for 2 hours or until set.
5 If the remaining rhubarb jelly has started to set, stand the pan in a little warm water until it dissolves again but don’t let it get at all hot. Pour it over the top of the creams and return to the fridge one last time for at least 4 hours or until set