The Last Stalk Standing

This, as they would say, is it.
This past weekends’ offering of sweet corn will probably be our last. You can begin to taste the age in the fading yellow kernels as you bite into them a little less anxiously than in the beginning of August.
Still juicy, sweet and delicious, but just not the same.

Thankfully we’ve all enjoyed corn at it’s peak. You know when it is, mid-summer when dinner consists of well, corn and a good slathering of butter. Those are the moments when most good eaters are wiping their chins and thinking about floss, and me, I eat one and high tail my way back to the market for more.

There’s something about perfect corn. The season is so short, you really can’t get sick of it.
When the time is right I buy what I can fit in my biggest stockpot to blanch and freeze for pure necessity and moments of longing. Soup is almost a must when preparing to freeze the best of the summer. Watching as the milky juice drips from the cob as I cut the kernels off with my sharpest knife, I want to keep it all. Scraping up what I can and maneuvering every drop into an awaiting pot makes the extra effort of preserving so worth it.

With the corn season coming to a brisk end and the cool nights beginning, I can help but to hang on to every last corn silk I can.

Zucchini Ginger Scones

So when you find yourself asking what it is you are going to do with the baseball bat sized zucchini that your father in law grew and gave to you, without duplicating a recipe or making yet another cake, pasta, salad, pesto, side dish…

Boil a pot of tea and eat a warm Scottish styled scone while you think about it.

So much more delicate and unexpected than bread, these scones are quick to make, quick to bake and quick to eat.
Try them, if you still have any zucchini left…

 

GINGER ZUCCHINI SCONES

2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Cold Vegetable Shortening, cubed
2/3 Cup Soy Milk
2 Tablespoons Crystalized Ginger, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
Zest of One Orange
2 Cups Zucchini, Shredded
2 oz Chocolate for drizzling, about 2 Tablespoons melted

Preheat oven to 450ºF.
Add the ginger to a food processor to coarsely chop.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon, pulsing again to sift.
Add the cold vegetable shortening in cubes and pulse to a coarse breadcrumb type consistency.
Add the the zucchini and orange zest, pulsing to combine.
With the motor running, add the cold soy milk, mixing only until everything is moist and incorporated.
Turn the dough out onto a movable, lightly floured cutting board or parchment paper prepped, flat surface.
With clean, floured hands, pat the sticky dough into a workable 1″x8″ round and slice into 8 wedges.
Separate wedges and transfer parchment if using, to a baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until tops have slightly goldened.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler.
Using a piping bag or a spoon, drizzle melted chocolate over the scones.
Allow to cool, only slightly, before eating.