The Eunice Power Column - Early Summer Treats

Summer has arrived bringing with it elderflower blossom, I could smell its delicate perfume as I walked in the field behind my house this evening. As I inhaled the the balmy fragrance I had a rush of panic – quick pick it before it rains and the blossoms are washed away.

I gathered up as much of the lacey blossom as I could hold and ran into the kitchen where it is now steeping in a big bucket of syrup overnight and tomorrow I will have my first taste of 2012 Elderflower cordial - I can’t wait!

I will use the syrup over the next few months as a cordial, a syrup for poaching gooseberries and of course Elderflower blinis.

For the elderflower syrup –

20 heads of elderflower
1.8 kg granulated sugar, or caster sugar
1.2 litres water
2 lemons, sliced
75g citric acid

Shake the elderflowers to get rid of any lingering creepy crawlies and put into a bucket with the sliced lemon.

Next put the sugar into a saucepan with the water and bring up to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

Pour the boiling syrup over the elderflowers and syrup and then stir in the citric acid.

Cover with a cloth and then leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

Next day, strain the cordial through a sieve lined with muslin. Be careful not to push the syrup through the muslin, let it drip naturally, otherwise your syrup will be cloudy.

Then pour into sterilised glass bottles (to sterilise the bottles, wash and let them dry out at 100C in the oven- allow to cool down before use). Screw on the lids and pop into the cupboard ready to use.


Chocolate sauce

This is the ultimate chocolate sauce recipe. A cinch to make and should last in the fridge for at least two weeks – although in my house it never does!

Once discovered by the sweet toothed creatures I live with, it disappears overnight – another thing to hide! It is a wonderful dipping sauce for berry kebabs and, of course, ice cream.

250ml water
100g sugar
160g golden syrup
75g cocoa powder
60g dark chocolate, broken up in small pieces.

Put all ingredients except chocolate in a saucepan and bring to boil over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in chocolate until melted. When cooled, store in the fridge



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More recipes from Eunice Power are available on www.eunicepower.com and www.powersfield.com

Room reservations can be made via our website www.powersfield.com - hope to see you in Dungarvan during the year.

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Eunice Power is a professional chef with over twenty years experience in the hospitality business. She runs Powersfield House in Dungarvan County Waterford, which is our B&B of the Year for 2012 and also the winner of the Best B&B Breakfast. Her philosophy is to use fresh, seasonal, locally produced food, sourced organically where possible.

Eunice has a successful outside catering company, writes about food (she is the author of an excellent cookery book written for local company Waterford Stanley) and teaches at Paul Flynn’s Tannery Cooking School, where her enthusiasm and zest for a life filled with good food are given free rein."