elderflower cordial

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elderflower cordial
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Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 15 10:30 am Post subject: elderflower cordial
I know its a bit early, but.. Ive been looking at recipes and it seems pretty simple to make. BUT, one recipe says add citric acid. Why would you do this? Is it to preserve? The reason I ask is that I think Ill pasteurise the bottles of elderflower cordial I make as i want them to last quite a while.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 15 10:47 am Post subject:
Yep. It's a preservative. I'd guess you could leave it out if you're pasteurizing, you'll need to use it up once opened though so bottle it in smallish volumes.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 15 11:04 am Post subject:
anyone made it? Sean? Recommend a recipe?

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 15 11:16 am Post subject:
I think we usually use H F-W's recipe here. But with a bit less sugar. If I'm wrong then Jamanda will be along to correct me. We freeze ours to preserve it.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 15 11:44 am Post subject:
thanks!

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9868
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 15 10:40 pm Post subject: elderflower cordial

I make it - we freeze it and only have a bottle at a time in the fridge, so dunno about preserving qualities, but it does need some sharpness for flavouring. Once left the citric acid out and it wasn't as nice.

my recipe:
elderflower cordial

20 heads of elderflower (picked on a sunny day)

2 lemons

1.8 kg white sugar

1.2 L water

50g citric acid

Peel the lemons, aiming to get only the yellow zest and not the white pith, and place in a heatproof bowl along with the elderflowers. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and add to the bowl. Heat the sugar and water together, dissolving, and bring to the boil. Pour over the elderflowers and add the citric acid.. Leave overnight. Next day strain through a sieve and bottle.

jamanda
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Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 15 10:56 pm Post subject:
That's about what I do, less sugar though. Whether or not I use citric or ascorbic acid depends on whether I have any in. If not I'd use extra lemon juice. I freeze it in plastic milk cartons.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Mon Mar 30, 15 6:35 am Post subject:
Thanks these comments are useful to know.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Mon Mar 30, 15 8:55 am Post subject:

sean wrote:

I think we usually use H F-W's recipe here.

I too have used this one for the last few years. The stuff is very good.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46192
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Mar 30, 15 10:48 am Post subject:

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:

anyone made it? Sean?

Recommend a recipe?

the cordial went mouldy even though it had been made with boiling water

the infusion in vodka went black(oxidised phenolics at a guess)

i suspect it might not be as easy as follow a recipe

ps the commercial stuff seems to keep well,we have a half used bottle of alcohol infusion that is fine and a couple of years old

i blame the preservatives for making it nice .

jamanda
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Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Mon Mar 30, 15 12:41 pm Post subject:
Yes, it does go mouldy without the vit C. That's why I do it in small batches and freeze.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Mon Mar 30, 15 12:52 pm Post subject:
But you could pasteurise it? Unless adding the citric acid adds to the taste?

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Mon Mar 30, 15 12:56 pm Post subject:
Citric acid will certainly add to the flavour. It's deliciously sour. It's what makes lemons winky.

James

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 2866
Location: York

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 5:20 pm Post subject:
without citric acid it'd taste very unbalanced with all that sugar. The sugar/ acid balance (when diluted) replicates that found in fruit juice. I add a dribble of metabisulphide solution to my syrup. In sterile bottles, this keeps for a year.

Falstaff

Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 7:08 pm Post subject:
Why not just bring it to the boil immediately before bottling ? as per jam or the like ?

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