In this post, I'm sharing my recipe for rose water cream and jellied elderflower blackberries, which go perfectly with the lemon drizzle cake recipe I posted on Monday.
Cake, cream and jelly are one of life's best combinations (basically trifle, sans custards) and this makes a really lovely, properly British pud that will definitely impress people with a bit of extra technique. It's deceptively easy to pull together and everything can be made in advance, so it's perfect for Sunday lunch or an afternoon tea party.
For the rose water cream:
300ml whipping cream
A few drops of rose water
Rose water is a lovely fresh flavour, but be careful not to overdo it as it can verge on Granny's linen cupboard territory if you go too far. For the cream, simply add a few drops of rose water and whisk until thick and fluffy. It's best to go slowly with the rose water - you can always add more but you won't be able to subdue the flavour unless you have some extra cream to dilute it. You can fold in some crushed blackberries for a little bit of colour if you like, but they might alter the texture a little bit as the juice is quite acidic.
For the jellied elderflower blackberries:
75ml elderflower cordial mixed with 325ml of water
1 sachet of gelatine
The sachet of gelatine that I used is intended to set 570ml of liquid, but to make the jellies stand on their own, you want to use less liquid for a more sturdy consistency.
Pour a few tablespoons of boiling water into a glass bowl and add the gelatine to the bowl (always add the gelatine second, never pour boiling water straight onto it). Gently stir until the gelatine dissolves. If the gelatine clumps, which it often does, place the bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water, add some of the elderflower liquid and stir until the lumps disappear, but never allow the mixture to boil. Then add the warm, gelatine-infused liquid to the rest of your elderflower mixture.
If you want to create little individual jellies like I have, fill an ice cube tray about half full and place in the fridge to chill. After about half an hour, test the jelly with your finger and if it has set, or at least started to set, you can press a blackberry into it and then top up with more elderflower. You can also use this jelly in a mould (or just keep it in the bowl you made it in) and it will set in the fridge in a few hours. To turn out the jellies, put half an inch of warm water in a baking tray and then place the ice cube tray in the pan for a few minutes so that the jelly softens slightly. Then using the the end of a teaspoon, gently push out the jellies and they should pop out in shape. Don't worry if some break, I actually preferred some of the ones that had a bit of blackberry poking through. And voila! Don't you think these would be delicious with gin as grownup 'jello shots'?
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