Erin FoxEvery summer I look forward to making elderflower cordial. Elderflower is best picked on a sunny day, but we had so many dull and drizzly days last month that I had little opportunity to pick any. As soon as the sun peeped out from behind the clouds, I legged it out of the house with a bag in hand. I made so much cordial I didn’t know what to do with it.
Paired with strawberries, folded into cream, elderflower is just delicious. When I came across a recipe for strawberry and elderflower jam, I couldn’t imagine a more exotic taste. I just had to create my own dessert using these two ingredients and so, I came up with this strawberry and elderflower mousse.
You can use cordial from the shops if you can’t get making your own. Don’t be fooled by the light and frothy mousse because this is just the dessert for those with a super sweet tooth! You will need:
- 454g strawberries
- 50g / 2oz caster sugar
- 200ml elderflower cordial
- 2 large eggs separated
- 6 sheets leaf gelatine
- 50ml double cream
Soak the sheets of leaf gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 to 20 minutes.
Wash and hull the strawberries, then dry with kitchen paper. Place them into a bowl with the sugar and blitz with a hand held blender until smooth. Alternatively, tip everything into a food processor and once blended, tip the contents into the mixing bowl.
In a saucepan, bring the elderflower cordial to a simmer. Remove the leaf gelatine from the bowl of water and squeeze out any excess liquid. Remove the elderflower cordial from the heat and add the gelatine. Gently whisk until the gelatine dissolves. Allow to cool slightly and then pour the mixture into the blended strawberries.
Separate the eggs and mix the yolks with the cream. Whisk this into the strawberry mixture. In a large clean grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites into the strawberry mousse mixture, two tablespoons at a time. Pour the mixture into a wide, deep set bowl and place in the fridge over night or for a few hours until set. For individual desserts, divide the mousse into sundae glasses and chill as normal.
Serve with a few sliced strawberries and a sprinkling of elderflower heads. This is quite a rich mousse so it is fine served on its own but if you like, you can serve it with lemon or vanilla shortbread on the side.