CHERTSEY

BOATS, BRIDGES, BOILERS ... IF IT'S GOT RIVETS, I'M RIVETTED
... feminist, atheist, autistic academic and historic narrowboater ...
Likes snooker, beer, tea, rivets and solitude, and is strangely fascinated by the cinema organ.
And there might be something about railways.
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Wednesday 31 August 2011

Cordial greetings

Today I made some elderberry cordial to Carrie's recipe. I would put a link but don't seem to be ablt to in Blogpress. I started by picking a pint of elderberries. Rather than using a fork, I just rubbed them off with my hands. There are still plenty left for the birds!


I then spread them out in the washing up bowl to check for spiders etc as a couple had a lucky escape while I was picking. I added half a pint of water and simmered them (the berries, not the spiders) for a bit over the twenty minutes recommendeed by Carrie. At this stage they smelt pretty foul.


Straining them might have been easier if I had had a sieve, but such a small quantity didn't take all that long using a tea strainer! I measured how much juice I got and it was 400ml. Easy, just add 200g of sugar. But of course I don't have any scales, just my handy, and resolutely imperial Tala measure. Never mind, half a pound is near enough and errs on the side of generosity. Chuck in a cinnamon stick, stir until the sugar's dissloved (I used demerara as the Misterton Co-op doesn't offer anthing as exotic as muscovado; ditto cloves which should also have been added at this stage) and then throw in a sliced lemon. I simmered it for another twenty minutes and then decanted it into my carefully cleaned and preheated wine bottle. I can impart the helpful information that starting with a pint of berries ends up, neatly, with a pint of cordial.


Later on I tried some with hot water, and it was quite nice; interesting and not unpleasant, although with a hint of bitterness. Cloves would definitely have improved it. I also though it might be quite nice undiluted with gin or brandy in....


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

2 comments:

  1. Beats work every time ...;-)

    Sounds like it needs some Vodka?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gin sounds about right. Cheers!
    You can add links by selecting a word and tapping the button in the top righthand corner then choosing 'A insert a link'.
    Pour a large one and give it a go.

    ReplyDelete