Or zucchini flowers. Whatever you call them, they are the best treat of summer! You need
- squash/zucchini blossoms
- butter
- cheese (I like cheddar)
- a skillet (nonstick is best)
- a fork
- toasted bread (optional – but it’s a nice vector for eating the blossoms!)
Harvest your blossoms as early in the morning as possible. You may have some ant friends to chase out; just hold the blossom upside-down and thump the base until they come out. If the blossoms are dirty on the outside, wash them and pat them dry.
Cut up some cheese into small strips or blocks. I like a sharp cheddar. Pre-shredded cheese would work great. Stuff your blossoms with cheese.
Melt butter over low heat in your skillet. A nonstick skillet is probably best; I had to do some serious scraping on the one in the photo.
When the butter is melted, add your blossoms.
The heat will cause them to melt into the butter. Using a fork, press the top petals down into the butter to close the flowers for cooking uniformity. After about a minute, flip the base over the flower so it cooks on that side. You can turn off the heat at this point.
Is the cheese gonna spill out into the skillet? You bet! You can let it sizzle and harden up a bit, or you can leave it a while after you turn off the heat so the treat is easier to pick up.
I usually can’t resist, and that’s where the toast comes in. You can use it to “clean” the butter and melted cheese out of the skillet. Somebody’s got to.
