Elderflower Ice Cream & Elderflower Cordial

I have been wanting to try my hand at making ice cream from scratch for ages. However, my house had one of the old-fashioned ice cream churns, and... well, in all honesty, I didn't want it so much that I was prepared to sit there turning a crank for a couple hours. This week, however, I picked up an electric ice cream maker on sale– let the confections commence! This Cuisinart and I are going to be good, good friends. I have any number of ideas bumping around in my brain, so there will probably be quite a few ice cream recipes popping up here throughout the summer.

Elderflower isn't a flavor that most of us here in the US are familiar with– for some odd reason, we just don't eat it here. This is a mistake. Elderflower has a beautiful, delicate flavor that's difficult to describe– sweet and lightly floral, with faint notes of citrus and herbs. I first encountered it when I spent a week in Denmark to visit a friend. She had picked up a container of ice cream from a local shop, and one of the flavor stripes was... elderflower? I was a little bewildered, but instantly fell in love. It's also used in a refreshing spring drink, elderflower cordial. Both the beverage and the ice cream are based on a sweet syrup made from elderflower blossoms, sugar, and citric acid. It's hard to track down in stores in the states, so I order online from l'Epicerie. A bottle of it lasts quite a while if you're just using it for drinks, but ice cream will run down your supplies a little faster.


Elderflower Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups cream
1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup elderflower syrup
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

Preparation:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine milk, cream, elderflower syrup, and salt, whisking together. Bring the mixture just to a boil.
2. While the dairy mixture is heating, combine the yolks and sugar in a bowl. Beat with a whisk or hand mixer until the mixture is pale and thick.
3. Once the dairy mixture has come to a slight boil, whisk about half of it into the yolk/sugar mix, then add a bit more. Return this to the saucepan so everything is combined over the heat.
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly over low heat until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon. Do not let it boil.
5. Pour the mixture through a strainer, then bring to room temperature and refrigerate.
6. Churn according to your ice cream maker instructions.


Elderflower Cordial

Ingredients:

Elderflower syrup
Cold water, still or sparkling

Preparation:
Mix one part syrup to five parts water. Add ice if desired.