Foraged Elderflower Sparkler

Lots of moms get flowers for Mothers' Day. I don't get a bouquet; I get foraged elderflowers. They definitely know me! We were leaving our hike yesterday morning and R spotted a series of elderflower bushes. "Mom, pull over!" he hollered.

Jake hopped out and plucked a few clusters.

R ran back to the original bush he had seen and grabbed two handfuls.

And D, ever the pragmatist, requested, "Mamma, can you please make something that we can actually have? You know - not elderflower liqueur!!" Okay. So I took my Mothers' Day elderflowers and made a simple syrup that we poured into sparkling water for a homemade elderflower sparkler. Cheers.

Ingredients

Elderflower Simple Syrup

2 C elderflower blooms, destemmed
1-1/2 C water
1-1/2 C organic granulated sugar

Sparkler

ice cubes
sparkling water

Procedure

Elderflower Simple Syrup

Place water and sugar in a medium sauce pan. Heat to a simmer, swirling until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved. Stir the flowers into the syrup and press down so that they are completely submerged. Remove from heat and let steep until the syrup is completely cooled.

Strain out the flowers and pour the syrup into a clean lidded jar. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Sparkler
Place ice cubes in serving glasses. Fill with sparkling water and top with desired amount of elderflower syrup. I use about a tablespoon; the boys like theirs more sweet.

You can do this same process with any edible flowers. It's a great way to sip along with the seasons. And if you want to make this an adult sparkler, you can mix the syrup with prosecco or champagne.

Comments

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy. Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t...

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Search This Blog