The flowers of the common elder or Sambucus nigra, with their creamy-white umbels, can usually be picked from late Spring to Midsummer. This recipe for elderflower fritters came from my mother. Every year I looked forward to it when she brought this special dessert to the table. Although the stalks of the umbels are not eaten, they are ideal for putting the umbels in the frying fat and removing them again after baking.
20 umbles of Elderflower
150 grams flour
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of Vanilla sugar
3 egg yolks
250 millilitres of milk
250 millilitres of water
3 egg-whites
Around 200 grams of clarified butter or shortening
1. Pick the 20 or so large umbels of elderflower and, if necessary, shake off the small beetles, living in the flowers, beforehand.
2. Mix flour, salt, vanilla sugar, egg yolks, milk and water well.
3. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the pancake batter.
4. Heat the shortening or clarified butter in a small, tall saucepan.
5. When bubbles rise when you hold a wooden spoon into the fat, it is hot enough.
5. Now dip the cleaned umbels into the batter and fry them individually in the fat until golden.
6. Remove the baked flowers and let the fat drip off on a kitchen towel.
7. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve warm.
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