Strawberry and Elderflower Sorbet

These resipes are for the foodies coming to check me out at the REMARKABLES MARKET between 8AM and 1PM this Saturday (11/12/2010) in Queenstown.

Following is an array of recipes that use elderflower cordial. BUT I am cheating! I have been flat out making the cordial over the past week that I have not yet trial and errored these yet. I am going to start next week and we will no doubt all eat ourselves to death in my house next week. So, I am sorry I cannot guarantee any of these recipes yet, or tell you whether they are any good or cheap to make yet. All I can say is watch this space for comments ...

Strawberries are selling 2 punnets for $4 down in the Wakatipu at the moment, perfect for this recipe!!

Strawberries, fresh garden mint and frothy white elderflowers are the very essence of early summer and work nicely as a threesome. The flowers can be turned into a refreshing cordial with water, lemons, sugar and a suitable acidulator. I find the widely available cordial from the hands of artisan producers invaluable and something I keep in the fridge all summer long for cold, non-alcoholic drinks with slices of lime and ice cubes. Serves 4-6

“i find the widely available cordial from the hands of artisan producers invaluable and something i keep in the fridge all summer long”

Ingredients:

For the sorbet:
250g strawberries
125g caster sugar
120ml water
juice of half a lemon

For the syrup:
150g strawberries
75ml elderflower cordial
15 small mint leaves

Method:
To make the sorbet, put the sugar in a saucepan with the water and bring to the boil. You can remove it from the heat as soon as the sugar has dissolved and set aside to cool.
Rinse and hull the strawberries then whiz them in a blender or food processor till smooth. Add the lemon juice, then stir the strawberry purée into the cold sugar syrup. Now either pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn till frozen, or pour into a freezer box and place in the freezer.
Leave for a good couple of hours then remove, and beat the freezing edges into the middle with a whisk. Refreeze for a further two hours then beat once more, again bringing in the ice crystals from the outside into the middle. Return to the freezer till firm.
Make the syrup by cutting the strawberries in half and putting them in a bowl with the elderflower cordial. Chop the mint leaves finely and stir them into the cordial and berries. Cover, refrigerate and leave for a good 30 minutes for the flavours to marry.
To serve, place scoops of the sorbet into small bowls, then spoon over the berries and their mint and elderflower syrup.