Squash blossoms are one of those unique treats. They're not particularly flavourful, but they're a delicacy of fragility. They last less than 12 hours, so working with them requires a fresh supply and an early morning harvest. Although they don't impart much flavour to this dish, they add a unique look.
First, I collected the blossoms from garden in the morning. It's important to work fairly quickly since they'll wilt and become unusable. Carefully flatten (but don't crush) them. Mix a corn bread batter: cornmeal, almond milk, eggs, olive oil, salt and baking powder.
The trick to really great cornbread is a preheated cast iron pan. When preheating the oven, place a cast iron skillet inside. When the preheat cycle is over, remove the pan, add a generous glug of oil and then add the batter. Immediately, the bread begins cooking and bubbling. This creates a rich, thick and crispy crust.
I like to give cornbread a savoury edge by adding rings of red onion. Finish the batter by placing the squash flowers atop the batter, drizzle or spray with olive oil, and return the skillet to the oven.
