Strawberries and elderflower
This past Sunday, I bought the first organic, locally-grown strawberries. Teeny tiny strawberries that reminded me of the mara des bois we had in France.
“They are grown for flavor, not looks”, the grower said to me justifying their small stature and amorphous shape. I didn’t need any explanations, really. I could smell them from a mile away.
Sweet.
Like strawberries.
Then I walked a couple of stalls down to find bins of elderflower. I almost fainted. That smell! Reminded me of the elder trees that line the river-edge in my hometown.
I delicately packed the elderflower in a bag and carried on knowing that when I arrived home, I would be making something with the strawberries and topping them with the elder petals. Ended up eating one pint in one sitting – on the side of the street.
With the other pints, I made crumble. The simplest fruit dessert you can probably make and always so appreciated by all. It is forgiving as you can basically add any crunchy ingredient you wish.
Then top it with elder petals if you have them. Or even rose. Or chamomile… Or simply plain.
Strawberry crumble with oats, hazelnuts and elderflower
serves 8
1 cup (140 g) superfine brown rice flour
1 cup (100 g) hazelnut flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75 g) cornstarch
1/4 cup (30 g) gluten-free rolled oats
1/4 cup (50 g) natural cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
8 tablespoons (110 g) unsalted butter, soft and cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
1 to 3 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 pounds (675 g) strawberries, stems removed and halved if they are large
Juice 1 lemon
A bit of elderflower petals (optional)
Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
In a large bowl, mix together superfine brown rice flour, hazelnut flour, 1/2 cup (60 g) cornstarch, rolled oats, 2 tablespoons sugar and salt. Add the butter and mix it into the flour using your fingers. The butter should coat all the flour and feel moist and sand-like.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water. Add to dough and mix. Add more water if needed. We want the dough to be crumbly but moist. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
In a bowl, mix together the strawberries, 2 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and lemon juice. Toss together and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Transfer the strawberries into a baking dish that is approximately 9-inches by 13-inches. Top with crumble and bake until the strawberries are bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes.
Serve warm topped with some elderflower petals.
I spent ten days in Rome a few years ago at a small symposium/conference in the month of June. Of course the food is fabulous – but I remember the intense flavor of the “frutti di bosco” (fruits of the woods or mixed berries). So yummy.
That and the pasta with lemon and arugula.
anything in italy tastes better.
so beautiful! I´ll never get enough of strawberries, looking at them, eating them – whatever!
yes me too!
Delish! Saturday I photographed a cherry orchard, and ate warm cherries straight from the tree. You must come to east this summer and visit the farm!
so great!
I miss Elderflowers. We always made syrup with it, which is a Swiss staple in the summer…elderflower syrup with sparkling water…
I planted three elderberry bushes this year. Only one is flowering, which means no berries this year. I only have a few flowers this year. What a lovely idea! I never had this while I lived in Switzerland, but I can have it now! Fantastic!
A lovely combination! So fresh and fragrant.
Cheers,
Rosa
thanks Rosa.
I have elderflowers in my garden right now. I also have fraises de bois. Thank you for this lovely suggestion! I only have a few this year but next year I will have more of both.
We planted an elder bush as well but ours is not the edible kind, but I look forward to the flowers regardless. Fraises des bois… so much flavor.
Aran, WHERE did you find the elderflower, WHERE?? I’m in the Seattle area and I honestly thought I would have to go to England or Sweden to find real elderflower! #ignorant :)
I found it at the Ballard market at Foraged and Found!
That sounds amazing. So simple and elegant and flavorful. I must try it sometime soon. :)
I hope you will try it!
Those berries look fabulous!
They tasted fabulous as well :)
Wow .thanks for recipes
Heady scents and flavours are what summer are all about…. Beautifully captured Lovely.
Heady scents… I love that and I suppose that’s what’s been inspiring me lately. It must be the abundance of flowers in Seattle at the moment.
Ummmmm… This looks and sounds ABSOLUTELY fantastic!!!!!
Thank you Samina.
Sounds dreamy! x
Thank you Natalia.
So glad you found those strawberries! The tiny ones are indeed filled with the most flavor….ours should be ready soon and I can’t wait! I love the image of you sitting at the side of the road enjoying a pint. So much fun. Have a great weekend. D
Your strawberries will be indeed delightful. New England has so many berries… Next here we will have gooseberries, marionberries, raspberries of all colors, boysenberries, blueberries and blackberries. Oh and currants! Salmonberries are growing wild right now also. I have a plant but has not produced any fruit yet. Enjoy!
Ahhh… Crumble. Perfect summer dessert. Sweet, tart, crunchy.
Great use of elderflowers to impart another dimension to a dish. Very lovely, Aran.
The strawberries are gorgeous. So imperfect, yet the season’s best…
Your pictures make me feel poetic, Aran!
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Local strawberries transform anything you make. Lovely recipe. I plan to try it.
i saw pictures on pinterest and was drooling over it, and now i’m so glad to of stumbled across your blog so i can get the recipe, yay!
such beautiful photos as well :)
Bec {daisy and the fox}
http://www.daisyandthefox.wordpress.com
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Aran!
What a wonderful recipe!
I didn’t know that there were gluten free oats! This is great!
I have been gluten free for 5 years and I have always thought I couldn’t eat them.
Where do you usually buy them? which brand do you use?
Sorry about my questions but as you can imagine this is a revelation for me because I love them :)!
Have a lovely weekend!
Ema
Hi Ema,
Oats are naturally gluten free but because they are commercially processed with wheat, they are highly contaminated. Bob’s Red Mill is my main source of gluten-free oats. All the best.
Thanks a lot Aran! I’ll buy them then :)!
Wow… I love how the summer is full of smells. I hate how everything has to be so big now with no flavor… Those berries sound delicious and the elderflowers sound delightful! What a beautiful story!
The recipe looks great!
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What a delightful post. I have never cooked with elderflower but that’s because I have never seen them sold at my local markets. I must keep my eyes out for some and add them to my desserts! Thanks for the inspiration Aran :)
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