Lilac blossom ice cream
Time warped back to the 1920’s, August 1924 more precisely to the rolling countryside and quintessential Englishness of a long languorous dreamy summer afternoon tea party in Charleston, East Sussex. Gossip laughter and “social interaction.” (Ahem). Writers, painters, dancers, poets… The creative liaison of Lovies that were the Bloomsbury Set, were also über foodies. Virginia Wolfs bread and apparently her rice pudding were to die for Dharlings.
Their informal summer parties were gatherings for food and far more. Endless articulate stories, gossip, dazzling wit and charm, impeccable table manners, more than a soupçon of rumpy-pumpy and unrestricted culpability of both edible and vulgar delights, and all in the name of art.
Perfectly plump peonies and pretty pansies, a proliferation of perfect plates, plummy platitudes, pranks and polarised opinion if you please? A picturesque picnic of pert peppery pies and pickles, pleasant preserves, prolific parfaits, pretty peach pastries, poached pears and plums as proper puddings, a precociously potent punch and pretentiousness a plenty. Oops, one may have taken the P there?
I envisage their volleys of rapier wit, all frightfully jolly, fine and dandy. Acerbic raconteurs, a tipsy, warbling flapper swathed in delicately beaded, diaphanous chiffon singing “I’ll bring you lilacs in the spring again”. With that meagre mental meander. The lilacs are rather spiffing in the garden this year and I have sought to gather lilacs and harness some of their heady fragrance and lusciousness to a sweet edible form. Lilac wine? Umm a more modern ditty though written in 1950 made famous for me in the 80’s by Elke Brooke’s, so after a quick gander though some of my old books – indeed our heady lilacs are not only beautifully fragrant but edible too.
Snip the blooms with secateurs that they fall and flounce into your garden trug. Gather pesticide free lilac blossoms and strip their little flowers with your, sticky with nectar, fingers swoosh them through water to release tourist bugs and then add to a pan of warm stock syrup ( ⅔ sugar to ⅓ water) and swirl to incorporate (the flowers not you silly) add lemon rind, a teeny-weeny pinch of salt (which also acts as a mordant to set the colour), to balance their sweet taste, infuse for 20-30 minutes, longer depending on the youthfulness and strength of your bosomy blooms, I made two infusions the white was more intense than the mixed purples.
Remove the lemon skin and flowers and pass the liquid through a muslin or suitable kitchen cloth let it drip to obtain a clear liquid which may not be the case if squeezed, you know who you are impatient ones? Bottle and refrigerate the now delicately fragrant stock syrup.
One incorporated all the white and some of the darker brew into some no cook vanilla ice cream during the process, the mixture kindly absorbed the extra cup of fluid without issue. A very gentle simmer reduced the remainder to a syrup which was drizzled over the ice cream and spread with the back of a spoon prior to freezing.
The result is flowery fresh ice cream without a hint of Grannies soap dish, sadly the vicarious weather has now taken the bloomin’ flowers ….
…. taps the keyboard in wanton anticipation of next years treasure trove.
x
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ñami!!! ❤
I love lilacs (the smeel, i haven’t really tasted them!) and I love ice cream… this must be heavenly! 🙂 yumyum
I love lilacs (the smell, I haven’t really tasted them!) and I love ice cream… this must be heavenly! 🙂 yumyum
Is this what they serve you when you finally get to heaven? 🙂
That looks so amazing!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Stunning!!
Gorgeous photos + delicious ice cream = fabulous post! ❤
Mmmmm.. Pretty and yummy, perfect combination!
Absolutely gorgeous!
Really interesting and what an outcome. Brilliant
Wow! Clouds on a cup! Beautiful ice cream pics! We have lilac bushes in our backyard, and the flowers are majestic purple in the Spring and early Summer. I would never have thought I could cook something with them. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Wow, they are just so amazing!
Wonderful photos and delicious idea! 🙂
The smell of lilac is my all time favourite flower smell. This ice cream sounds really interesting !
A treat for all the senses. Thank you!
Wow this looks so beautiful and yummy!
Looks amazing. . . so light and fluffy. . .yum!
So beautiful and delicious!
Great post – we drove past Charleston last week but didn’t manage to visit, so this more than made up for this! Pity our neighbour’s lilacs are finished already…
Reblogged this on Kunstkitchen's Blog and commented:
This lilac ice cream recipe is one to pass on to my readers. If you anything like me and love unusual ice cream give this a swirl. Ice cream magazine is funny and always inspiring.
Lilac ice cream…hmmmm. I’m intrigued. Sounds good!
I’d never have guessed that the delicious, heady aroma of lilacs could also be a flavour. Sounds heavenly.
I love the pictures of the lilacs, the ice cream sounds dreamy 🙂
That looks amazing. Great presentation!!!
Your posts are so tempting!
I’ve never made ice cream before, but I must try this recipe! It looks so delish, and I have lilacs growing in my frontyard.
So pretty!!
this is gorgeous!
Looks amazing!
Beautiful, sounds yummy too! 🙂
Now that I’ve made a note of the recipe, I’m planning how I will “borrow” some white ones next spring from my friend’s garden. How much will I need to borrow, I wonder.
One might possibly borrow 2-4 newly opened heads of blossom earlish in the season, just for quality control of neighbours kindness, generosity or complete unawareness. The floral potency per batch varies, as do neighbours we understand. Lack lustre lilac is better left alone as are lousy neighbours m’thinks. X
So beautiful as always, and so elegant too:)
This is so divine.. Id eat this by litres☺️.. Just waiting to b invited😊
You are the real deal! Such wonderful post. 🙂
This looks wonderful! I love the smell of lilac but never thought to use it in cooking.
OMG, what a decadent ice cream! I mean all of your ice creams! I feel like I can almost taste it, grrrr….. I’m very impressed…I’m not an ice cream maker but it’s very inspiring to ice cream to an artistic and artisan level.
This is everything I’ve ever wanted in an ice cream. I think you might these ice cream photos i found on interest that I put together in an ice cream post on my blog. Such beautiful photography! Wish they were my photos haha http://lilleblomste.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/summer-ice-cream/
*might like
Reblogged this on A Well Equipped Kitchen..
Wow. My husband is the ice cream addict, but the lilacs caught my attention. Yum
This a gorgeous post!! Stunning clicks too:))
Your pictures are beautiful – makes the ice cream look so inviting!
If this icecream is even half Good of how beautiful if looks, I’m sure it is scrumptious and worth It a try!
You have a beautiful blog.
I agree with Suppernut! Beautiful!
Nice!
Yum! I have a post on lilacs being one of my favorite flowers and now I have a delicious link to add to it 🙂 Thank you! https://luckylittlepenny.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/lilacs-in-bloom/
Awesome! Love your creations. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
P.S. Thanks for checking out my blog.
This is gorgeous I love the photos.
This sounds delicious, and your photographs are beautiful!
Reblogged this on MC Digital and commented:
This looks fab!
The lilac blossom ice cream looks fabulous!
Thanks for stopping and liking my blog, your ice cream is looking great
That sounds absolutely amazing.
who knew lilacs were edible
lovely colors, looks fantastic!
What an amazing recipe!
You have such a way with words! I was transported and loved every illiteration!
What a charming article! And just as I finished watching season 6 of Downton Abbey!
I’m sorry I missed this one. It would have saved me a lot of work. Gorgeous pictures and admirable alliteration.
Looks so awesome!! Gorgeous pics❤️
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Stunning pictures and wow what a unique take on ice cream! Your writing is so beautiful and vivid. Love it. 🙂 Thanks for dropping by my blog!
Beautiful
This is so elegant.
Reblogged this on Vietnam Travel & Trade Portal .
truly a lovely idea to infuse simple syrup with fragrant blossoms
Sounds and looks awesome! I’m sure the fragrance is also amazing. Beautiful.
Pingback: How to Eat Lilacs (and Other Ways to Use Them)
Thanks for liking my blog…I love ice cream and interesting flavors of ice cream like this!
This sounds and looks amazing. Reminds me of a lavender syrup i had over lemon sorbet. Thank you thank you. Lilacs are done here for the year but i await next spring!!