Monday, August 09, 2010

A fleeting flavor of summer: squash blossoms

Squash blossom flowers
If you see these at your farmers market, snap them up and have a simple dish that captures the fleeting flavor of summer (yes, it's almost mid August. Sigh). Squash blossoms are so simple, but there's something ethereal about eating flowers.

Inside the flower, drop in some cheese....I tried chevre, Tillamook chile cheddar, Mexican queso fresco, and Tillamook cracked black pepper. Any and all were delicious. The most traditional is the queso fresco as it doesn't melt as much as the other cheese. So you drop in some cheese, then gently fold up the flower ends, and place the little bundles on a pan. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 3-4 minutes and they're done.

Squash blossom flowers on plate

Finger food of summer, finger food of flowers, finger food of simplicity.

10 comments:

Cher said...

Boy flowers only?

LeLo said...

Cher, you're very smart. Yes, these were boy flowers only, as they wouldn't produce fruit. The farmers pick just the boy flowers for sale like this.

Amy - the gazelle said...

I have a ton in my garden right now, but never knew how to prepare them. (I also have some homemade cheese that need a home...I think I have a plan!)

Heather said...

Wow - I had never heard of this, but now I'm going to have to try this!

Tallulah's Antique Closet said...

I've seen the blooms for sale at a flea market here in town but wasnt sure how they were prepared. Thanks for the info. Have a great week...Julian

A Lewis said...

I've never had them! They look great. Maybe on a salad??

Finger Food said...

Not heard of this before but looks lovely!

colleen @ foodietots said...

Ooh, lovely! I haven't had any yet this summer (sigh), but I love to stuff them with ricotta and fry 'em.

(And thanks for stopping by my blog to say hello! So neat hearing from people who heard the piece.)

Willi said...

So funny! I like to cook mine the same way (they are also very good in quesadillas with a mix of queso fresco and cojita). It's much lighter than the fried blossoms!

Party Catering Brisbane said...

Wow...that's so unique!