Blossom Breakfast : Summer on a Plate

The cat is polishing off the tiny fragments of egg and hollandaise clinging to a ramekin. All four of us are going to go back to Sunday morning "stuff" - I'm going to do the dishes when I finish writing, the boy is watching TV, and Bill is in the garage cleaning. Murray will probably take a nap. And I don't think that among the 4 billion taste buds that make up the four mouths in this home that there is a solitary one that is not just satisfied as it possibly could be.

I am really proud of breakfast today. For years now I watch chefs cook with squash blossoms. And I've never eaten one until today. I tried to once (in Rome) but they neglected to tell me that the beautiful squash blossom panini was lathered with anchovy paste and instead I traded for Bill's proscuitto and mozzarella. So August 30 was really day 1 for squash blossoms and I.

We literally planted a hundred plants in July just to eat the squash blossoms when they came. Today, despite an incredibly busy weekend, time, blossom and opportunity intersected with gorgeous result.

I picked 10 gorgeous blossoms (closed up so they'd stuff better) from the garden and washed them for dirt and critters. I shredded various cheeses in a bowl, including a divine piave vecchiu, added two eggs, some minced shallots, some dijon and some lemon zest. Then I took one of the mature squashes, sliced it and lined the bottom of a ceramic dish with the discs - underneath was a hint of garlic butter so nothing would stick. I pumped the egg and cheese filling into a ziploc bag and loaded up the blossoms.

If you ever find you want to pipe something (like icing, or sauce, or hummus) you don't need a fancy pastry bag. Grab a plastic sandwich bag, and fold it over a cup. Don't try to fill it directly or you will end up with goo all over the bag, and your hands. The cup allows you to fill it evenly, and then just to fold up the ends. EASY!


I basted the blossoms with a bit of butter, salted them and shaved some cheese over the top. I baked them in a ceramic dish inside a lasagna pan, and then poured hot water into the lasagna pan. This is known as a water bath, and it insulates the ceramic dish from heat that can be too harsh. It is a great way just to make a plain egg too...

The fresh squash (the end product) and the gorgeous blossom (the beginning) were like summer on a plate. The garlic, shallots, dijon and cheese added a richness to the fresh tender flowers. Of course, I made a hollandaise to go over it but they would have been good just on their own. They were soft, floral, fresh, tender.

Thoughts are creative. In July, I hoped that a bunch of little seeds would become edible blossoms. On August 30, they exceeded my expectations, but now I'm hungry for more. Fortunately there is a whole bouquet to eat our way through this month!