Elder flower cordial with lemon a la Lønnestræde

I have been twisting this recipe on elder flower cordial a la Lønnestrædeelder flower cordial a la Palle using lemon only instead of the mixture of lemon & lime. I have picking all the elder flowers in just behind my garden in the in the surrounding of Lønnestræde.

You really should try to make your version of elder flower cordial instead of buying an industry product in the supermarket. It is a very easy thing to make and the taste is just so much better !!!

It is very easy to see in the supermarket, when it is high season for making elder flower cordial at home, as the supermarkets are running out for the citric acid powder.

Elder Flower Cordial a la Lønnestræde:

• 40 elder flowers
• 4 lemons - organic - in thin slices
• 40 g citric acid
• 1.5  kg cane sugar
• 2 l water - boiling

1. Shake the elder flowers very, very well, so they are free from various insects. DO NOT use water for this cleaning step, as this will reduce the wonderful taste of elder flower significantly as you remove the "yellow" flavour dust/pollen.
2. Use a scissor to cut the flowers from the flower stem, as these apparently will increase the bitterness level in the final cordial.
3. Place the elder flower into a big bowl, which you can close with a lid at the end.
4. Slice the lemon into thin slices. Add into the bowl.
5. Add the cane sugar on top
6. Add the citric acid as well.
7. Add the boiling water into the bowl.
8. Stir the sugar into solution, so it does not form a sediment on the bottom, which is difficult to dissolved later, when the cordial is cold.
9. Cover the bowl with the lid.
10. Let the content cool down to room temperature, before you place the bowl in the refrigerator.
11. Stir or shake the bowl daily during the infusion time.
12. Let the elder flower cordial infuse for 4 days in the refrigerator.
13. Sieve the cordial to remove all the different ingredients.
14. Prepare the glass bottles by by filling them with boiling water. I do not use any preservatives, so this is important to increase shelf-life of your cordial.
15. You can also use plastic bottles, if you want to freeze the cordial as another way of preserving it. Remember NOT to fill these bottles completely, as liquid will increase in volume, when turning into ice.
16. Enjoy the wonderful Summer time using this cordial as "plain" cordial mixing with water (with or without gas), mixing with wine or sparkling wine. Or mix it gin or vodka and lots of ice.

Rhubarb liqueur a la COOP

I have located this recipe on rhubarb liqueur on OOP homepage (rabarberlikør). In the recipe the infusion in 3 weeks. Also the liqueur change colour from being clear to red just like this rhubarb aquavita a la COOP.

Rhubarb liqueur a la COOP:

• 400 g rhubarb - cleaned and cut into 1-2 cm
• 400 g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod - open and vanilla corns mixed with 1-2 tablespoons of the sugar
• 5 dl vodka with neutral taste

1. Cut the rhubarb into pieces.
2. Add the pieces into a medium size glass containers.
3. Add in the vanilla pod and it's corn
4. Add in the sugar.
5. Fill up with the vodka.
6. Store the alcohol at ambient temperature for 3 weeks.
7. The first 2-3 days the glass containers should be shaken vigorously to dissolve the sugar into the alcohol. 
8. Drain the content from the mixing bowl through a sieve.
9. Pour the liqueur into glass bottles.
10. Enjoy together alone or served together with dessert.

Getting started on Kumulus Tee

For my new knitting project I have decided to knit a Summer blouse in form of the Kumulus Tee by PetiteKnit. As yarn I have selected a combination of manddyed raw silk from Garnudsalg and a follow thread of pink Blackhill mulberry silk from Garnudsalg (a yarn used normally for embroidery).

I have spend 595 DKK for the yarn and 40 DKK for the knit recipe or a toral of 635 DKK (84 €).

Vibe Summer dress is finished

At last !!! My new knitted Summer dress is finished :-) I brought the yarn for this knit dress at the knitting festival in Horsens February this year . The yarn is Dunlin (55% linen % 45% cotton), and model is called "Vibe" and it is designed by Else Schjellerup.

I have adjusted the size scaling up from the recipe, so it would fit my body. The scaling up was quiet easy to do. I also decided to knit this dress using circular knitting needle instead of the usual type of knitting needles. This means, that I afterwards do not have sew the dress together.

After several set backs with the knitting (pattern not fitting & the length of the dress being too short) I have finally managed to sew the dress together as well as knitting an edge around the sleeves and neckline.

The yarn and recipe costed 660 DKK (= 87 €).

Elder flower gin tonic - version 1

It is high season for blooming elder flower and I have just finished my first portion of elder flower cordial a la Lønnestræde. Some of it I decided to use for making a new version of this elder flower gin tonic. Instead of using elder flower tonic I used a combination of normal/plain gin tonic together with my freshly made elder flower cordial.

Elder flower gin tonic - version 1: - 1 cocktail

• 6 cl elder flower gin by "Nordic by Nature"
• 20-25 cl classic Fever Tree tonic
• 3 cl elder flower cordial 
• 1 stem of elder flower
• ice cubes

1. Pour the gin & elder flower cordial into a high ball glass.
2. Add in the ice cubes.
3. Place the stem of elder flower
4. Fill the glass up with classic tonic.
5. Enjoy and enjoy the Summer :-)

Rhubarb jam with elder flowers

Besides asparagus it is also high season for fresh rhubarb and blooming elder flowers. I have used this recipe on Midsummer jam (strawberry jam with elder flower) as inspiration.

Other suggestion rhubarb jam could be these: rhubarb-white currant jam, rhubarb-raspberry jam, rhubarb-apple jam, strawberry-rhubarb jam, tomato-rhubarb jam, rhubarb jam & rhubarb jam with vanilla.

Rhubarb jam with elder flowers:

• 500 g rhubarb - stems cut into small pieces
• 1½ dl water
• 250-300 g sugar
• 8 g pectin
• 1 teaspoon citric acid
• 8-10 elder flower stems
• potassium sorbat - optional

1. Clean the rhubarb stems, cut them into 1-2 cm pieces.
2. Place the rhubarb and water into medium size cooking pot.
3. Bring to the boil, let the rhubarb simmer gentle for 15 minutes, until the rhubarb is boiled out.
4. Dry-mix the pectin with 50 g sugar, stir the pectin mixture into the rhubarb mass.
5. Let the rhubarb boil for 4-5 minutes.
6. Add in the citric acid and sugar, and bring a rolling boil.
7. Let the jam boil for 2-4 minutes.
8. Add the elder flowers into the jam, stir well. 
9. Remove the cooking pot from the heat, push any scums from the surface of the pan to the side and remove it with a metal spoon. 
10. Prepare the jam glasses by filling them with boiling water to sterilise them.
11. Fill the glass with jam and close the glass. Store them cold.
12. Store at ambient temperature.

Vibe Summer dress - fifth progress

It has been some time since I last have shared a progress status on this Vibe summer dress (fourth progress). I had done all the knitting, but before I started to saw the dress together, I decided to try the dress. This was a very good decision, because I could see, that the dress was to short !!!

Therefore I yet another time had to reel up the entire knitted upper part down to the second part of the dress. I when decided to increase the length of both the second part with another 5 cm and the third middle part with another extra 5 cm.

I have just tried on the dress again, and now I am ready to saw the dress to together. I have also finished the knitting of the two arms. As the dress and arms are asymmetric in shape, I think the part of the process can be just as challenging for me as the knitting part.

Triple white asparagus soup

Asparagus season is here, so it is a question about enjoying as many fresh asparagus as possible (other suggestion is triple asparagus risotto & asparagus soup). I used this recipe on triple asparagus soup as starting point.
The wording triple white asparagus refers to the use of canned white asparagus and fresh white asparagus in two different ways. The majority of the fresh white asparagus was boiled in the soup. And one of the fresh white asparagus was peeled and when peeled with a potato peeler into thin slices. These thin asparagus slices were, wen added into cold water until serving the soup. These thin asparagus slices gives a great crispy texture, while eating the soup.

As usual I have used canned white asparagus and their liquid in order to increase the taste of asparagus.

Tripe white asparagus soup: 3-4 servings

• 500 g white asparagus - to have the end broken off, to be peeled and chopped into 2 cm pieces do not peel the head of the white asparagus.
• 1 of the white peeled asparagus is peeled with a potato peeler into thin slices. These thin asparagus slices were, wen added into cold water until serving the soup.
• 270 canned white asparagus - 140 g liquid & 130 g asparagus
• 30 g butter
• 3 tablespoons wheat flour
• 1 l vegetable stock
• 2½ dl dairy whipping cream, 30-38% fat
• season with salt and pepper. 

1. Prepare the white asparagus.
2. 1 of the white peeled asparagus is peeled with a potato peeler into thin slices. These thin asparagus slices were, wen added into cold water until serving the soup.
3. The rest of the white asparagus is chopped into 1-2 cm length.
4. Melt the butter in a medium cooking pot. 
5. When the butter is melted, stir in the wheat flour. Let the wheat flour dissolved into the melted butter.
6. Start by stirring in the pickled asparagus liquid.
7. Afterwards add in the vegetable stock little by little, so the butter-flour mixture is dissolved into the vegetable stock.
8. Add in the prepared white asparagus. Let the asparagus pieces simmer gentle in the soup for approx. 10-15 minutes.
9. Add the cream to the soup together with the canned white asparagus pieces
10. Bring the soup to the boil. Let the soup boil gentle for 2-3 minutes.
11. Season the soup with salt & pepper.
12. Serve the asparagus with a topping of asparagus slices.

Knitting basket in reused plastic

During a visit to Ribe yesterday I found this big shopping bag made from 70% reused plastic at the shop Maren Splid. My plan is to use it for storing of knit yarn like a recent knitting bag. It costed 43 €. I hope, that I now have enough storage for the various yarns, which I have been buying during the on-going corona crises.

Elder flower gin tonic

I noticed, that the elders have started to bloom outside my garden, so I decided to invite my mother up for a gin tonic with focus on elder flower. As usual she has to bring the ice cubes for the cocktails, as my freezer is full with no room for ice cubes !!!

An elder flower gin tonic is of cause made from Fewer Tree elder flower tonic, gin with elder flower by "Nordic by Nature" and a freshly picked elder flower bunch.

Elder flower gin tonic: - 1 cocktail

• 6 cl elder flower gin by "Nordic by Nature"
• 20-25 cl Fever Tree elder flower tonic
• 1 bunch of elder flower
• ice cubes

1. Pour the gin into a high ball glass.
2. Add in the ice cubes.
3. Place the bunch of elder flower
4. Fill the glass up with elder flower tonic.
5. Enjoy and enjoy the Summer :-)