Ingredients: Your August Zucchini Relief

Just Trying To Help (with a Zucchini Recipe)

No, don’t thank me for rescuing that pile of unwanted zucchini squash from your counter or front porch. I am only doing my neighborly part and suggesting a delicious dessert zucchini recipe. August has become synonymous with  bloated zucchini humor; this veg even has its own nationally recognized day on August 8, Complete with seasonally appropriate T shirts.  Despite an obvious abundance of zucchini plants, it’s a mystery to me why gardeners rarely take advantage of the blossoms, which are delicious fried,  steamed or marinated in salads.  There are even rice dishes dedicated to zucchini blossoms. If more of us took advantage of the floral phase, it would act like zucchini birth control. That would mean fewer overgrown squash, and possibly an end to such desperate measures as using an oversized zucchino in your toilet tank as a water saver. Or making it a summer snack for your dog.

Tried & True

The farm stands around here abound with squash blossoms, and if you have never tried them, take a look at this KD post for inspiration. While you are at it, make a red pepper sauce to accompany them – the internet is littered with recipes.  The Italian sformati are another lovely format for the Z word. They will also benefit from a red bell pepper sauce of your choice. I am surprised that there aren’t any bell pepper jokes, even though they topple over their baskets at all the farmers’ markets, and I see loads of them in a community garden I pass on my walk.

And For Dessert

While reading through Rick Rodger’s superlative book on desserts from Austrian, Czech and Hungarian cafés and bakeries, I discovered a Viennese zucchini recipe for cake (not another bread!) with an apricot glaze and chocolate ganache topping. It is a recipe from one of the owners of Cafe Dommayer in Vienna, where Johann Strauss II first played his daring waltz compositions. According to the author, Dommayer, had at one time,  the only organic certification from the Austrian government for its total use of organic ingredients in all of its products. 

Rodgers suggests an 11×8 inch (28x20cm) glass baking dish, but not having that on hand, mine was baked in a 9×2 inch (23x5cm) round cake pan by USA Pan. This company produces excellent bakeware. Also, it is important to use the best quality apricot jam for your glaze. It will make such a difference in the taste, as the lightly spiced and not too moist cake, the bright acidity of the apricots and the chocolate ganache each contribute to this zucchini recipe for cake’s success. Subtle, lush in flavor and texture, this cake deserves to be the coda of the zucchini season.