SUMMER // Recipe for four
Green grapes, elderflower and fig leaf ice cream
In spring and summer each year we gather elderflower from the garden at Biota; the buds get lightly soaked in vinegar just as they are about to flower. I planted the elder trees four years ago in the watercourse run-off from the dam on the grounds. This refreshing recipe always reminds me of that planting day.
ELDERFLOWER BUDS
20 young elderflower sprigs
300 ml (10½ fl oz) sugar syrup
175 ml (5½ fl oz) elderflower vinegar
Rinse any insects off the elderflower. Seal in an airtight glass jar with the sugar syrup and elderflower vinegar and keep for 1 week before using, if you can, for the flavours to develop. This can be stored for up to 2 months.
GREEN GRAPES
20 large seedless green grapes
30 ml (1 fl oz) lemon juice
Score the grapes with a sharp knife and drop into boiling water. Leave for 2 minutes, until the skins begin to lift. Transfer to an ice bath and peel off the skins (keep these to use for green grape skins, right). Seal the grapes and lemon juice in a vacuum bag for 1 hour.
FIG LEAF ICE CREAM
250 ml (9 fl oz) full-cream cow’s milk
100 g (3½ oz) cane sugar
4 fresh fig leaves
3 egg yolks
Pour the milk, half the sugar and 60 ml (2 fl oz) water into a pan and bring to the boil. Pour over the fig leaves and leave to infuse for 6 hours in the fridge.
Put the egg yolks and the remaining sugar in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water) and whisk until you have a pale and creamy sabayon. Strain the infused milk over the top of the sabayon, whisking constantly, then chill.
Transfer to an ice-cream machine and churn until frozen. If you don’t have an ice-cream machine, pour into a shallow freezer container. Freeze until semi-frozen, then whisk very thoroughly. Freeze and whisk again, twice more.
Warm the grape skins in the sugar syrup until translucent. Remove and dehydrate in a dehydrator at 60°C (140°F) for 3 hours.
GRAPE AND ELDER JUICE
100 ml (3½ fl oz) green grape juice
50 ml (13/4 fl oz) elderflower water
6 g (¼ oz) iota carrageenan
Pour the grape juice, elderflower water and iota into a pan and heat to 75°C (167°F). Strain and leave to set in the fridge.
PLANTS TO FINISH
Elderflowers
Flax buds