It’s always so exciting when our two lilac trees bloom every year. Their scent and beauty are one of the first to enchanted the garden after so many months of winter. The last two year, I’ve been experimenting on different ways to capture and keep that delightful (although strong) perfume after the flowers have withered, and I think we’re getting somewhere this year. Here’s the current recipe we’re using to make syrup that can be used both in drinks and in/on dessert.
Ingredients:
1 liter of flowers (cleaned and without the stems)
5dl sugar
5dl water
Materials:
A small cooking pot with a lid
A cloth strainer or a fine mesh strainer
Remember that different sorts of lilac give stronger or weaker scent and therefore taste. I have noticed for instance that our white lilac is a bit too intense to be used in syrups. It gives a “drinking perfume” experience that is not exactly what I’m looking for. In our garden, our light purple lilac is more suitable for cooking.
The ratio sugar/water defines the consistency of the syrup. You can choose to have 1 part sugar for 2 of water if you prefer a thinner texture, or opposite with 2 part sugar for 1 part of water to get a really thick syrup. I personally like equal parts of sugar and water and if I change my mind I can always use the simmering process to adjust the consistency.
If you don’t have 1l of flowers, just remember that it is 2 parts flowers, 1 part sugar and 1 part water (or 1 part of flower, ½ part sugar and ½ part water). That’s why using volumes instead of weight is more practical when it comes to flowers !
Also, as for many flower preparations, you have to remove the “stems” of the flowers. In this case, it means plucking all the small florets from the “flower buckets''. This may seem like a chore, but I just view it as a calm, sort of meditative task. Furthermore, while we’re on the subject of flowers, never take more flowers than you should nor too close to a road. You should never take over ⅓ of the flowers on a tree. As the old lady used to say : “⅓ for you, ⅓ for the other animals and insects and ⅓ for the plant.” That foraging rule goes by when I pick wild berries and flowers. We are never alone.
As for the recipe :
In a cooking pot, combine the water and sugar, then bring it to boil. Keep stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Cut the heat, add the cleaned flowers to the syrup and put a lid on it. Keep the pot on the stove and let it cool down completely. Leave for the night (or about 8-12h) in a cool place. Note that the longer it infuses, the stronger the flavour.
Strain the syrup through a cloth (or a fine mesh strainer) and squeeze all the juice out after 10 minutes.
Pour the syrup in glass bottles. It will keep for 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge, but about a good 6 months in the freezer.
Personally, I like the lilac syrup best with tonic water (plus, it gets a beautiful pink color). I bet it’s delicious on vanilla ice cream ;)
Et voilà ! What a fantastic way to keep a scent and flower for long after it withers.