Use every bit of the strawberry in this low waste biscuit and cordial recipe.
Refreshingly sweet and floral cordial served with melt in the mouth lemony strawberry biscuits. The perfect afternoon treat for a moment of calm this spring.
Ingredients (Makes approx 18 biscuits):
Strawberry & Elderflower Cordial:
10 heads of elderflower
250g water
250g sugar
Strawberry tops (from the 250g strawberries)
1/2 lemon, juiced
Dried Strawberry Slices:
250g strawberries
15g sugar
Lemon & Strawberry Biscuits:
150g flour
100g salted butter
1 lemon, zested
1/2 lemon, juiced
50g icing sugar
Method:
Start with the cordial:
Forage the heads of elderflower and give them a bit of shake to remove any insects. I went through the trouble of only picking off the flowers but you can put the entire head into the syrup, just remove branches and leaves.
In a saucepan, weigh out the sugar and water, mix that until the sugar has dissolved and add the elderflower heads.
Zest the lemon and keep the zests to one side.
Juice half the lemon into the saucepan, save the other half for the biscuits.
Chop the green tops off the strawberries and add those tops to the saucepan.
Place the saucepan on a medium heat. Bring up to the boil and then take off the heat and leave to cool down. If possible, leave overnight to infuse, or otherwise as long as possible.
Strain out into a jug.
Slice the strawberries thinly and mix them with 15g sugar in a bowl. Leave them covered for 30 minutes (or overnight if you are doing so with the cordial) until the water has come out of the strawberries and created a syrup.
Strain this syrup into the elderflower cordial and stir to combine. Keep the strawberry slices aside for the biscuits.
The cordial is now ready to enjoy with plain water or get creative with cocktails and mocktails. It would go great in a spring spritz, mojito, margarita or simply with tonic/soda water.
Make the dried strawberry slices:
Preheat the oven at 80°C.
Line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone mat.
Lay out the strawberry slices on the baking tray so none of them overlap.
Bake for 1 hour.
If you would like to eat these as strawberry leather, flip them half way through and if needed cook a further 10-20 minutes until the slices are fully dried and start to brown.
Make the biscuits:
Preheat the oven at 180°C.
Soften the butter by cutting it up into cubes, placing in a large microwavable bowl and cook on max Watt for 10-20 seconds.
Sift the icing sugar into the bowl.
Using a wooden spoon, beat together the butter and icing sugar. Then add in the lemon zest and juice of the other half of lemon. Stir that in. Don't worry if it splits, it will all come back together soon.
Sift the flour into the bowl, then beat together again until combined.
Spoon the mixture onto a large piece of clingfilm. Shape it into a sausage and roll it with the clingfilm while pinching the sides. It should be the width you'd like the biscuits to be.
Leave to firm up in the fridge for 30 minutes then cut into inch-thick slices.
Lay the biscuits out onto a baking sheet. Place a strawberry slice on each biscuit and press them in with a fork to ensure they stick together.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they start browning on the sides.
Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy the biscuits with a refreshing glass of cordial, bon appétit!
More about this recipe:
Shortcuts:
The biscuit recipe is also good without the strawberry slices. It makes simple, zesty, melt in the mouth, lemon biscuits.
Equally, the elderflower cordial can be made with just the elderflower, or you can add strawberry tops but not bother with the strawberry slices and simply save the strawberries for another dish.
Keys to success:
I realise this recipe seems long and with a lot of steps. But the steps are easy to do and quite foolproof I promise.
Check out the full video below for extra details.
Foraging the elderflower:
Recognise the tree through small cream-coloured flowers, each with 5 petals, gathered in flat crowns, leaves should be in 5-7 pairs of serrated leaflets, and most importantly it should smell like elderflower cordial (if it's past the right time to pick them they will give off a 'cat wee' smell). The leaves and branches are mildly poisonous so only use the flower crowns. Check for insects and cut the crowns off with scissors. Make sure to leave some behind for pollinators too!
The perfect sweet treat for a moment of calm:
Strawberries are a source of:
Folate - not having enough folate increases the chance of feeling depressed.
Vitamin C - involved in converting dopamine to noradrenaline - low amounts of noradrenaline are associated with depression.
Anthocyanin (antioxidant) - supports cognition and focus.
Full of other antioxidants and phenolic compounds - which reduce oxidative stress and support brain health.
Elderflowers are a source of:
Ursolic acid (natural compound) and quercetin (antioxidant) - reduce stress and inflammation in the body including the brain also preventing neurodegeneration.
Other antioxidants - reduce oxidative stress and support brain health.
A smell wired in our brains - indicative of spring and sunshine, the smell will naturally provide a sense of calm.
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