Homemade Elderflower Cordial

Yay, it's that time of year again that our gorgeous Elder tree blooms heavily with hundreds of fragrant flower heads.  Elderflower cordial makes a really refreshing drink. Use enough cordial to sparkling or soda water to taste and with plenty of ice and some mint sprigs if you fancy too. It is also delicious with a swig of gin or vodka or added to bubbly. Also use the cordial to make jellies, sorbet or ice-cream or use it to sweeten gooseberries or rhubarb. When our friends were here with us last week we got the kids to help out making our first batch of the summer. Here's what we did...

Makes about 2.75L 

(you will need enough stopper or screw topped bottles to take this amount)

2kg caster or granulated sugar

1.2L water

about 40-50 freshly picked elderflower heads

3 unwaxed lemons

75g citric acid*

- Stir the sugar and water together well in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Bring very slowly to the boil stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. 

- Meanwhile, gently rinse the elderflower heads to get rid of any bugs and pick off any leaves or brown flowers. Place the flowers in a really large bowl or bucket.
- Using a peeler or small knife to shave a few pieces of zest from each of the lemons and stir them through the sugar syrup. Thickly slice the lemons and scatter them over the flower heads.
- Stir the citric acid into the sugar syrup until dissolved and then carefully pour the mixture over the flowers and lemon slices. Stir everything together to make sure it is well immersed. Cover and leave in a cool dry place to soak for 24 hours.
- After this time, you are ready to finish and bottle. It's important to sterilise the storage bottles (to avoid any nasty growths) so wash them in hot water and then dry them out in a low oven (about 170C) for about 15 minutes (or alternatively, run them through a hot dishwasher without powder).
- Strain the soaking flowers through a very fine sieve lined with a piece of clean muslin, j-cloth or coffee filter into a large jug. Squeeze out as much of the syrup as possible from the flowers (but not so much the lemon slices) so as not to waste a drop!
- Then the easiest way to bottle the cordial is though a funnel. Then pop the lids on tightly and store in a cool dry place for a few months (although some people say up to a year - just keep a check out for any fur!). It can be frozen too but perhaps use smaller bottles so you can defrost a little at a time and use plastic instead of glass bottles (leaving a good gap from the top to allow for expansion on freezing). Once opened it should be stored in the fridge.


* The citric acid in the recipe helps preserve the cordial. It can be bought in pharmacies or health food stores (but you might have to search a few as not all stores sell it - it is said to be used by junkies also!). Read the label carefully as it can cause irritation to the skin if not handled correctly. A bottle of cordial is an ideal gift to give to friends. 

Garden Glory

Painted in Cuprinol's 'Seagrass' (& the trim in 'Pale Jasmine ') from their Garden Shades collection

Hurrah, we have a garden at last! We have grass and a path and all sorts of crazy things like that. It has been a long slog and to be honest the boy has done most of the hard graft out there (thankfully he loves it). There were days battling brambles, getting the tree under some sort of control, digging deep for unrulely roots and unearthing everything from bed springs to bones. Lots and lots of bones. We're hoping those of nothing more sinister than animals. 

The stages our poor garden has been through over the last few years

So, Mart is now a happy man to see nice new grass growing at last. No more mud slides for us. It's the simple things in life eh? Now, for the planting planning for the ultimate garden glory....

Anyhow, I don't have an 'after' photo to show you yet as the weather has been so grim out there. So for now I've posted a photo of our newly painted shed which is down the bottom of the garden tucked just under the tree. I love it! I was inspired by beach huts (one day, *dreams*) and love how this colour combination turned out. If only inside was a dream world of stripy deck chairs, hanging seashells and floppy hats. 

P.S. Are those elderflowers I see bloomed on the tree? I feel some cordial coming on...

The Big Noodle

So, you know the way Americans call the boss The Big Cheese? (or is that just in the movies..?) Well, in Asia they call them The Big Noodle. Maybe you had to be there, but this really made me giggle when I first heard. Mind you, that was in my travelling days when I had nothing more to do only giggle at such silly things. Would I giggle if told now in this so called 'real world'? Hmm....Oh well, it still puts a smile on my face and brings me back to those happy and carefree days daze.

Some travelling memories from the Friendly Cottage photo album

ASIAN RICE NOODLE SALAD WITH PRAWNS & MANGO

I love nothing more than this quick and easy noodle salad for a tasty and healthy lunch or light supper. Swap the prawns for cooked chicken strips or for a vegetarian version, something like toasted cashews or tofu. Don’t toss everything together until ready to serve to avoid things becoming soggy.

Serves 2

175g thin rice noodles

100g mange tout

150g cooked & peeled prawns

1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced

2 spring onions, chopped

handful mint leaves, torn

DRESSING

4 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

juice of 1 lime

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

1 red chilli, finely chopped

2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander

Place the noodles in a wide shallow dish and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave to soak for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain, rinse in cold water to refresh and drain again.

In the meantime, prepare the dressing in a large bowl. Whisk the sunflower oil, light soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander together and set aside.

Blanch the mange tout in a small pan of salted water until just tender. Drain, refresh in cold water and drain again before cutting diagonally in half.

Tip the noodles into the dressing with the mange tout, prawns, mango, spring onions and mint leaves. Toss everything together really well and serve at once.

Pimms O'Clock

Happy bank holiday weekend! And what a fab sunny time it's been too (well, except for the rain today, that we just won't talk about). We had some friends and their kids over from London for the weekend and so have been hanging out with picnics in the park and hose downs in the garden (the kids now believe that here in Ireland we have to shower and water the garden at the same time to save water!). To keep the grown-ups (I use the term loosely) cool, we've been sipping on Pimms cocktails. What better drink to 'chink' the start of summer to.

PIMMS COCKTAIL

I couldn't have said it better myself so here's a definition of Pimms o'clock according to the urban dictionary...Time for Pimm's (posh cocktail made with pimms, lemonade, and fruit). Implies lazy, happy days sitting in the sun with nothing to do and no need to worry about time. 

My friend Louise reckons she isn't a great cook and so gets people drunk so they 

don't notice the food. She makes a pretty rocking Pimms if you ask me!

large serving jug of ice

300ml Pimms

1L lemonade

large handful mint leaves

1/2 cucumber, sliced

150g strawberries, hulled & halved if large

2 apples, cored and diced

Pour the Pimms and lemonade over the ice in the serving jug. 

Stir the mint, cucumber, strawberries and apples through.

Serve at once.

True Blue Baby I Love You

I'm still in love with my new kitchen. Here are some blue things I spied with my little eye recently...

Spotty bowls from Avoca. Blue plates from Ikea in plate rack.

I can't remember where I came across this sweet girl. We haven't quite found a home for her yet so she hangs out in the kitchen with us for now. 

Tea cups on the dresser with a cute knitted tea pot cosy a friend gave me.

Washing-up gloves from Homebase. Very unused looking I might add. I do like my dishwasher. The appliance one rather than the husband one.

 Scales by Typhoon.

Love this bowl's shape and colour, by Sophie Conran. Stack of bowls, baking dishes and colanders on a kitchen shelf.

No Irish kitchen is blessed without the holy Mary water on the dresser. A dear friend gave me one and not sure where I got the other. Probably my mother. I sprinkled the whole house with one of these when we first bought it. The other one helped me find a lost diamond when away with work once. Handy things to bring traveling, Holy Mary waters. Cute bottle from Avoca for homemade drinks.

Currants tin, from an auction house, reused as a utensil pot. Retro clock with cooking timer from ebay.

Homemade Ice Pops

Ok, ok, so I was preoccupied drinking my Whiskey Sour 

last night to remember to shake the mixture to prevent separating. 

See, I'm not perfect after all! They are still yummy though.

Yay, how fantastic is that hot weather? Here at Friendly Cottage we are in the middle of nursing and coaxing the growth of grass in our back garden so I have been out watering it in the boys absence. Marty had been totally obsessing over it until he went away and so will kill me if the grass is burnt to a crisp when he gets back. Likely-hood with me? High. So I'm all worn out, trying to prove him wrong and needed some refreshing myself. Luckily I made these ice pops last night. Anyone got any other flavour ideas?

APPLE & ROSEMARY ICE POPS

Thanks to a fruit bowl brimming with apples and the gorgeous rosemary pot I picked up the other day at food event (thanks to Living Flavour), I have been inspired to make these yummy pops. The number of pops you make will depend on the size of your moulds. You could try adding a stick of cinnamon to the sugar syrup too if you like. That would make an altogether very Autumny Ice Pop that would remind you just how lucky you are to be sucking it in such glorious weather!

Makes about 450ml

50g caster sugar

2 rosemary sprigs

4 large or 6 small apples

Place the sugar in a small saucepan with 50ml of cold water and the rosemary sprigs. Bring to a slow boil, stirring to help dissolve the sugar. Allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes before removing and leaving to cool.

Once the syrup has cooled, juice the apples in a juicer. Fish the rosemary sprigs out of the syrup and stir the apple juice and syrup together.

Pour into lolly moulds, pop the lids on and freeze upright for about 6-8 hours until solid. Stir or shake the mixture once after the first and second hours to help prevent any settling of the juice.

Dip the lolly moulds in hot water for a second to help release the pops. Suck at once!

TIP: When making this rosemary syrup, I usually make at least double and keep the remainder in the fridge to use as a drizzle over sponge cake or in cocktails. FYI you will need 75ml of syrup for this recipe.

Barefoot Contessa's Whiskey Sour

Sorry for being such a crap friend and not being around for a chat for ages now. Usual boring excuses like big work load, broken laptop and no camera.

Anyhow, I'm back. With a bang. I've hit the bottle as right now it's the only thing to bring me back to earth after a really mad few weeks. I haven't had a big drink for ages now. In fact the last time I lost my co-ordinates was at the end of my work in America earlier in the year. To help with the come down of that, I fell in love with Whiskey Sours. I have never liked Whiskey but when the Barefoot Contessa herself made this for me, how could I decline? Hook, line and sinker I was in love. In the airport on the way home I even picked up a couple of bottles of the Bourbon Ina used, Makers Mark. I haven't even tried to come up with my own recipe as Ina's is to die for. 

As this recipe was in American measures I used the cutsie Matryoshka doll cup measures my sister in law Beckie sent me (from Australia) for my last birthday. You can use Jack Daniels in place of the Makers Mark. To make sugar syrup, bring equal amounts of sugar and water to a slow boil, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and then leave to cool. I used a 1/2 cup of each to give me the amount required below. I buy my Maraschino cherries (the jarred posh ones with the stem still on) in Fallon & Byrne. This recipe makes enough to serve four. The boy has just flown off on my brothers stag weekend, so I promise, I divided it in four & saved the rest for after work tomorrow, and the next day and the next day. Hick. 

INA GARTEN'S WHISKEY SOUR

3/4 cup bourbon Whiskey

1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1/2 cup lime juice (about 3 limes)

2/3 cup sugar syrup 

Ice

Maraschino cherries

Combine the Whiskey, lemon juice, lime juice and sugar syrup in a cocktail shaker and add a good handful of ice. 

Shake vigorously for 15 seconds and then strain into glasses.

Add a Maraschino cherry and serve ice cold.

Currently listening to the Noisettes....What ya drinking rum or whiskey? Now won't ya have a double with me?

poached fruit

I had meant to pop this recipe up over the bank holiday weekend. Poached fruits are the perfect thing to have in the fridge to dip in and out of on a long weekend. They are delicious with pancakes, yoghurt, granola, a wedge of cake and of course ice cream. 

However, I got sidetracked with a weekend of partying. I ate and drank all the bad good things. Must make these this week as part of a my five a day on the road to recovery...

STAR ANISE POACHED PLUMS

175g caster sugar

450g plums (about 10), halved and stones removed

3 star anise

Place the sugar in a wide pan with 175ml of water and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Add the plum halves and star anise and leave to poach gently for 10-15 minutes until softened but still holding their shape.

Serve warm or cold at breakfast, lunch or dinner time or anywhere in between.

EXTRA FLOURISHES:

Other fruits perfect for poaching include pears, peaches, apricots, figs, berries, pineapple, mango and rhubarb. Poaching time will vary depending on the size and softness of the fruit.

Besides star anise try flavouring the sugar syrup with other spices like cardamon or cinnamon, a split vanilla pod, orange or lime zest, herbs like mint, rosemary or tarragon, lavender or even lemongrass, ginger and chilli.

Try liquid flavourings like poaching in fruit juice, wine or add a dash of rose water, orange blossom or grenadine or something stronger like brandy, kirsch, frangelico or amaretto.

So maybe vanilla and red wine figs, cardamon apricots or ginger and lemongrass mango...

TOP TIP: keep any leftover fruity flavoured syrup to use in your cocktails!

delicious desserts & old lady lace

the 'before' shot

Here's a little kitchen wall unit we've been working on. We bought it on ebay. It fits perfectly on a wall between two doorways. Mart painted it and put it up while I was away with work in February. It sat empty since then though as I couldn't decide what to keep on it. So I finally gave my pretty dessert glasses pride of place there recently. A sort of shrine to dessert glasses. A reminder to make delicious desserts for pretty glasses whenever possible.  I screwed some cup hooks into the bottom to hang measure spoons and aprons. All partners in the quest for delicious desserts of course.

It couldn't go with out some old ladyifying too and so I picked up a delicate lace trim on a recent haberdashery hunt and glue gunned it on. I think it was all the final straw for poor Martin who looked on in shock asking is there anything in the house for boys?! Sorry Mart. Just remember how good that knickerbocker glory is going to taste though!

a-lorra lorra leftovers

We had some stuffed roast pork leftover from the weekend. Yes, leftover. In this house? With that boy living here? Yes, unbelivable. Leftovers. 

I had cooked the pork with apple wedges too and even some of those managed to survive. So tonight I made a quick salad with the roasted apple, which I chopped, brown rice (wait for it...leftover  from another meal), a handful of sultanas, toasted flaked almonds and chopped parsley and a lemon, dijon dressing. Just yummy served with thinly sliced cold roast pork and an apple and sultana chutney.

Homemade Lemon Curd

If your lemon face has come back to normal from the recent lemon granita, then pucker up in anticipation of my delicious lemon curd. I keep ending up with loads of lemons left over from work and I knew that this weekend something had to be done about them before they took over completely. 

As if I needed any more encouragement with using them up, my work buddies over at Pacific TV in London, having just started tweeting, have thrown down the gauntlet in their first foodie fix..."Make us something yummy with lemons and send us pictures of the result". Loving (winning) a challenge, I went with my top favourite lemony treat. So here you go guys....I even sewed the name tag for extra points.....so what's my prize?!

LEMON CURD

Ok, so lemon curd isn't top of the list for the bikini diet (which is obviously why it's so darn good) but it's not like you eat a whole lot of it at once. Right?! I'm dreaming of it sandwiched in a cream sponge, lathered on a corner of crusty bread, marbled through mascarpone for a cheats cheesecake or straight from the spoon even! Mart just wants it on a knickerbockerglory. Try swapping the lemons for oranges for an equally delicious curd.

Makes 1L

Zest & juice of 4 lemons

400g caster sugar

150g unsalted butter, diced

8 eggs, beaten

Pour the lemon juice into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and add the zest, sugar and butter. Stir until the sugar dissolves and butter melts.

Remove from the heat and whisk the eggs in quickly (you don’t want them to scramble).

Sit the bowl back on the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

Pour into sterilised jars and leave to cool before covering. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

Souper Sunny Sunday

OK, so today isn't quite the summers day yesterday turned out to be (here in Dublin at least), but I'm living in hope as it ain't over yet. Yesterday, we sipped away on pretty cups of refreshing Gazapcho in the glorious sunshine. Here's my quick, easy peasy and s(o)uper skinny recipe...

GAZPACHO

Makes 600ml

400g ripe tomatoes (about 4 medium)

125g cucumber (about a 1/3)

¼ small red onion

½ red pepper

½ red chilli, deseeded

1 small garlic clove

4-5 basil leaves

½ tsp sherry vinegar

pinch of caster sugar (optional)

TO SERVE

¼ small red onion

½ red pepper

½ yellow pepper

1 small avocado, finely chopped

glug of extra virgin olive oil

handful of small mint leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Simply roughly chop the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, red pepper, chilli and garlic and place in a jug blender with the basil.  Blitz until really smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper the sherry vinegar and a little sugar if necessary. The soup can be chilled at this point if you like.

For serving, very finely chop the red onion, red and yellow pepper and avocado. Pour the Gazpacho into serving bowls, cups or glasses and scatter some of the toppings over. Drizzle a little oil on top of each one and scatter the mint over. Serve any remaining toppings separately.

EXTRA FLOURISHES:

- You can pass the Gazpacho through a fine sieve if you prefer a smoother texture. Don’t forget you will yield less in this case though (about 450ml).

- Use canned tomatoes if fresh ones aren't very ripe.

- If you can’t get hold of sherry vinegar then use red wine vinegar or even lemon juice instead.

- Substitute the fresh chilli for dried flakes or Tabasco.

- Beef the soup up a little with a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

- Other fab toppings include crab meat or finely chopped prawns, some finely chopped chives, grated boiled egg, croutons or an ice cube for extra chill.

- Gazpacho is also delicious served with an oyster on the side.