I had elderflowers up the wazoo last month from an over-eager foraging incident one weekend when I came across an elderflower tree in my friend's backyard. It's not like I don't have anything else to do, but I spent most of the week getting some recipes tested for a book I'm working on, and shared the elderberry sorbet on my blog.

It's fun working on cookbooks but when something is so seasonal (and a little elusive), you need to grab (and test) as much as you can, when you can. So I stood in my kitchen, picking flowers...and picking more flowers...and picking even more flowers...until my kitchen was full of the tiny, white, extremely fragrant little blossoms tumbling everywhere.

Almost everything went on hold, although I did have time to churn up a really extra-chocolaty ice cream for my blog (above), a recipe I'll be sharing this month, and just shared a crispy, crumbly Polenta cookie with readers.

But not everything was a hit. I tried someone else's Pavlova recipe (below), and it didn't quite make the cut. (Maybe I should stick to my own recipe in Ready for Dessert?)

I'm keeping it a little brief right now as I'm in the U.S. working on a television episode. It's something that's very outside my comfort zone, and now that 'it's a wrap,' as they say, I'm relieved but excited about it. I think it's a good idea to do something completely different from time to time. They say when you're shopping for clothes, to try something that you don't think would be right for you, like, at all...just to see. Because ya never know.

(Although once at Bloomingdale's in New York, I tried on a Spanx t-shirt. It was so tight that I couldn't get it off, in spite of doing my best to get a good grip on it and pull it back over my head. Unfortunately I was by myself and had to do the "walk of shame" through the men's department to get a salesperson to pull it off me.)

In the end, I tried it and had a blast. (The tv show, not the t-shirt.) The crew was great and so were the other participants on the show and the host. I can't say more because I agreed not to, but I'll let you know when you can see it on the small screen next spring.

Now that I've got those elderflowers behind me, I'm zig-zagging around a bit, but don't plan to be far from the kitchen...

- David

This Elderflower Sorbet promises, and delivers, the taste of summer...in one luscious scoop.

Cool down with Strawberry Margaritas. Pass the chips and guac!

Who ya' calling a 'gentleman of the night'? Maybe me, because I like this Pasta Puttanesca for dinner so much.

I (think) I found the Best Apple Tart in Paris.

Glad I brought an extra suitcase for my visit to Bordeaux, to bring home all my goodies from the flea market. And chocolate, of course...

Speaking of dinner, I LOVED this one-pan Harissa Chicken from Dinner, by Melissa Clark.