Watch How to Cook Well with Rory O'Connell at 8:30pm on Tuesday evenings on RTÉ One.
Ingredients
I have always loved the word "syllabub". There is something so pleasing about it. For me the word conjures up images of the beautiful old glasses specifically blown for the serving of the pudding. I have a tiny collection of four of these glasses, (hardly a museum collection) but nonetheless precious to me.
They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are tall and slender, some are more rotund and solid, some have a single handle, and some do not. Originally syllabub was frothy milk and alcohol based drink but now we expect it to be a very gently whipped and flavoured cream.
It is a lovely thing though and really simple to make. It was all the rage between the 16th and 19th century but slipped out of fashion and almost disappeared. I like my version here with elderflower cordial and brandy combining to yield a lovely flavour which is neither too strong in alcohol or too sweet in sugar.
The key to success is soaking the lemon rinds and cordial overnight and then to have a watchful eye when whipping the cream to achieve barely set soft folds of the sweetened pudding.
The final touches are fresh nutmeg which is grated directly on to the cream in the glasses and the finely sliced lemon rinds which hold on to the flavour of the brandy and elderflower cordial they were soaked in. All of these tiny details matter here to create a perfect balance of flavours.
If the elderflower is in season when I am making this, I sprinkle a few little elderflowers on the creams.
Serve a simple plain biscuit on the side.
Serves 6 -8
- 1 lemon
- 8 tablespoons of elderflower cordial
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 50g sugar
- 300ml cold cream
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- A few fresh elderflowers when in season
Method
- The day before you plan to make and serve the syllabub, pare very thin strips off the rind of the lemon and add to the wine and cordial.
- Place in a sealed container and allow to steep and infuse overnight. I use a clean jam jar with a tight fitting lid.
- Next day, strain the infused liquid into a large bowl reserving the lemon strips for later.
- Add the sugar to the liquid and stir until completely dissolved.
- Pour in the cream and whip to achieve soft folds rather than peaks. It is crucial not to over-whip the cream as it will become grainy and the comforting and sophisticated texture will be lost. The cream is even thickened by the movement of it from the whisking bowl to the serving glasses.
- Divide between pretty little glasses and chill until ready to serve.
- Slice the reserved lemon peels finely and neatly across the strips to achieve refined short pieces
- Just before bringing the syllabubs to the table sprinkle a pinch of the lemon strips over each serving and finish each one with a scant grating of fresh nutmeg.
- Serve immediately with a fine plain biscuit.
