A belated FFwD Post and Celebrating Harvest Time

A mustard tart? I must admit I wasn't too excited about it initially but after reading everyone else's rave reviews about this week's FFwD pick, I knew I had no excuse to not try the recipe. I'm truly glad that I jumped the "mustard" bandwagon because it's really quite a genius of a recipe, with that touch of je ne sais quoi that has become so familiarly, so rightfully, French. I made the carrot-leek version in a square tart instead of round, scaled up the custard portion but I'm afraid, not enough to fill the tart to its brim - note to self: increase by one and a half times recipe portion in future. Although this post is a day late, I'm a mustard tart convert now and this is definitely one that I will keep making again and again, I'm sure.
Please head over here to see the wonderful works of other FFwD members.

On a different note, one of the pleasures of living in the Bay Area is the gorgeous weather, pleasantly>/span>
mild throughout the year and where warm summer months seem to linger a bit longer. Dorie's in town and I'm sure she can agree with this. Whereas the rest of the country has slipped into cooler weather, changing colors and weathered leaves, we are still experiencing glorious summery weather  - crisp great-for-gardening mornings, pool-weather afternoons, balmy nights and even this:

While running errands earlier this week, I drove past this field of thick foliage with specks of orange - bright orangey blooms peeking through the dark green mass that peeked my curiosity enough to pull over and stop to look. And oh, what a sight!

One of the perks of living where we live is the abundance of vast spaces and open farmlands that are not yet despoiled by tides of development. It's quite a treat to be have both local farms and some of the top Fortune 500 high tech companies sharing the same zipcodes, in our neck of the woods.

I was so thrilled to be able to enjoy the bountiful harvest of Fall pumpkins and corns alongside summer squashes and squash blossoms, ever so grateful as I know that zucchini season probably ended couple months back in other parts of the country.

I've never made a dish using zucchini blossoms before but their captivating bright orange hues (orange is, after all, my favorite color) enticed me to order a couple dozen of the morning blooms from our local farmstand. These edible delicate flowers effloresce early in the morning and there's only a short window of time when they can be harvested during the day. I simply wanted to enjoy these flourishing beauties and leave the worrying about what to do with them until later..........

Fortunately, Dorie's Around My French Tablecame to the rescue again. I made her Shrimp-filled Zucchini Blossom Fritters, following her recipe for made-from-scratch tempura batter, with the addition of some rice flour because that's how my mum would usually make it.  I must say authoritatively, being the Japanese food lovers that we are, that they were one of the best tempura dish we've had - morsels of succulent shrimp encased in the soft zucchini petals, coated with tempura batter then deep fried to golden crispy goodness. 

Both D and I were quite astonished at how good they tasted when we took our first bites. It's not truly traditional French food but Paris is such an international city today so it's no wonder that the current gastronomic scene has been influenced by diversity and slowly transformed to amalgamate foods from different cultures.

It's now D's favorite appetizer and between these and the gougères, I think we have two new winners to add to our appetizer repertoire.

I also made a main dish out of the zucchini blossoms, using a recipe fromJamie Oliver's Magazine Recipe Yearbook, 2009, a lighter (steamed) version compared to the former, more subtle flavors but still good nonetheless.  

As Summer sheds its cloak and Fall starts falling into place, both dishes will be delightful reminders to me of how important it is to take time to enjoy the present, stop, and smell the zucchini blossoms while anticipating the arrival of a new season. And on that note, I have an exciting announcement - there'll be a treat in it for you as well so be sure to check back next week!

Zucchini Flowers (adapted from Jamie Magazine Recipe Yearbook 2009)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

A dozen zucchini flowers

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 red onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 / 4  cup long grain rice

1 tsp sweet paprika

4 plum tomoatoes, 2 finely chopped and 2 sliced

2 Tbsp  each fresh mint, parsley, basil and tarragon, chopped

Method:

1. Clean the blossoms with a wet piece of paper napkin and remove the stamens (center) of the flowers

2. heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic for about 3 - 5 minutes, until softened.

3. Add the rice and paprika. Cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes, season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes

5. Transfer to a bowl, add the herbs, mix well and allow to cool.

6. Stuff each blossom with a heaped teaspoon of rice (don't overstuff as the rice expands during cooking). Fold the sides of each flower over the stuffing.

7. Put the sliced tomatoes in a large skillet or pan and drizzle with olive oil. Place the blossoms on top.

8. Add enough water to cover and cook over a medium heat, covered, for about 25 - 35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the rice is cooked. Serve immediately.