Sunday, April 18, 2010

SPRING PANSY PARADE ~ (SUNDAY BRUNCH) WILTED SPINACH & GRUYERE FRITTATA / ORANGE-ALMOND SCONES

Dainty pansy whose soft painted face
Tickles my garden with whimsical grace.







WILTED SPINACH and GRUYERE FRITTATA

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 (10-oz.) package baby spinach leaves
1 bunch chopped green onions
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp. sweet Hungarian paprika
10 organic eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or half & half
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
dried parsley flakes for garnish
  • Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Saute green onions in 1 Tbspbutter. Gradually add spinach until wilted. Drain well and set aside.
  • Melt 3 Tbsp. butter. Whisk eggs, sour cream, and salt & pepper. Fold in 1 cup of cheese, spinach mixture and melted butter. Spread in greased quiche pan. Sprinkle with additional 1/2 cup cheese. Garnish with parsley
  • Bake 45-55 minutes or until eggs are set. (Serves 4-6)








ORANGE-ALMOND SCONES
~ delicious warm or cold
_____________
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 extra-large organic egg
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut up
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped blanched almonds
1 Tbsp. freshly grated orange peel
  • Grate peel before juicing the orange. Blend juice & buttermilk. Add egg and extract. Beat smooth with a fork.
  • Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles fine granules. Add sugar, almonds, and orange peel. Mix together evenly. Add egg mixture and stir with a fork until soft dough forms.
  • Drop by tablespoons on greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375-degrees about 20-25 minutes or until medium brown. (8-12 scones, depending on size)

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Joey, This posting is such a treat for, as far as I am concerned, I can never have enough of the pansies as they really do have such individual faces. I also find, as I am sure you do, that with prompt and frequent dead heading, never allowing the Universal type to set seed, they go on and on flowering over a very long period.

The scones, of course, reading about them at teatime on a Sunday afternoon, have set my mouth watering.

Victoria said...

Hi Joey..both recipes are super fabulous..lovely..yum..I am about to have lunch..they are inspiring me! Magnificent Pansy Power..awesome!!Spectacular photos as always..makes me wanna run out and get some pansy's!!
Kiki~

imac said...

What a refreshing display my friend.
What colour and beauty.

Anonymous said...

Look at all those little faces! :) Beautiful, Joey. Your frittata recipe sounds dee-lish, too! Perfect for a Sunday brunch. :)

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Joey, you certainly know how to tantilize us flowers and food. That quiche sounds delicious and scones are a favorite of mine and my husband.

Eileen

Anonymous said...

What colorful pansies you have, aren't they wonderful? And I didn't realize they smelled nice till I had them in the car on the way home from the nursery. Mmmm.

lindalou said...

Those pansies are just brilliant. Great photos.

I love the sound of the frittata. I've been into making quiches lately and BW has been taking care of some of his neighbor's chickens, so I've got a dozen or so really fresh eggs. This frittata will be a great way to use and eat them.

joey said...

Dear Edith, I so love pansies and deadhead until the bitter end when summer is so hot they must finally say goodbye. Thankfully scones, always a treat, don't need any deadheading :0)

Go get those pansies, Kiki. The touching powerful face of a pansy is you!

Thank you, imac. In my book, pansies are a must for spring happiness.

Hi Nancy ... like those that we love, each face is unique.

As always, you are very kind, Eileen, and a joy knowing you.

Indeed they do, Robin (and taste good too)!

Frittatas are a good crustless quiche, Lindalou. Wow, fresh eggs ... you are blessed! Thanks dear friend ... it took forever to shoot these cute pansy faces and glad you enjoyed.

beckie said...

Oh my, Joey! What wonderful photos. I can't imagine the time it took to get all those little faces photographed. I was going to tell you I like a certain one the most-but find I can not make up my mind. :) I do love their charming faces and can see smiles in almost all of them.

Can't wait to try those Orange Almond Scones. They sound so yummy!

Rick said...

Pansies, lovely pansies - and you have such a great collection of them. I always look early in spring to see if any have survived our winters and usually a few hardy souls do. Like you I always deadhead furiously - seems the faster I deadhead, the faster they produce blooms. But worth the effort.

Kala said...

What wonderful pansy mosaics. And that recipe for orange-almond scones sounds delicious. You are so talented.

Shady Gardener said...

Have you made these scones, Joey? I wish you lived closer... I'd invite you to tea tomorrow!! Some of my friends will be here and I'm treating them to cucumber sandwhiches, cream scones, devonshire creme, lemon curd, fruit and tea. :-)

Michelle said...

What beautiful photos! I will try this scone recipe as I love scones and made them quite often to service with tea or coffee. My 'diet' will have to go on hold for a while. Thanks for sharing! All the best, Michelle.

Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings said...

Dearest Joey, do you make all of these foods? You are so beautiful and thin, there is no way you can be eating so much. LOL! I wanna come live with you.~~Dee

joey said...

Thanks, dear Beckie. A past photo but fun to do. The scones are yummy. I make several kinds and love them all and noticed I have never posted my favorite current scones ... hum.

Hi Rick. In early spring, I head to the nursery and surround myself with lots and lots of pansies that give me great joy. Occasionally, those I plant in early autumn remember how much I love them and return :)

Talented Kala, you are a dear and thank you. I'm sure you and I would have great fun on a photo shoot together!

I wish that you lived closer too, Shady. How lovely to join you for tea. Yes, I make all these favorite things. Cucumber sandwiches are a constant favorite must too (do you share your recipe) ... many, many, many years ago, on request, I always made them for the nursery school picnic. Now all grown, the children love to enjoy them for picnics on the boat.

Welcome, Michelle, and thank you. Would love to nibble on a scone while reading entries on your delightful blog.

Big Hugs, Dee! Oh do come and live with me ... we have lots of room now the kids are all gone. It would be great fun to visit the many nurseries we have near and I'd happily be your gluten-free chef!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Joey, those orange scones sound delicious. I should make a batch to share with my Mom and Dad.

Love your pansies!!! The color combinations are just beautiful. Pansies are one of those flowers that just make you smile.
Marnie

joey said...

Hi Marnie and thanks. I have so many bulbs, wildflowers, trillium, popping now, hoping to get out and shoot but it's a bit too windy ... the busy weekend was too cold and filled with family fun.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Joey, those scones sound absolutely delightful. As are your photos. You're inspiring me to create a pansy poster once mine are ready for their debut. :)

Chad said...

Your pansy photos are great.They show the time and effort it must have taken to put them togeather.Always enjoy visting your blog.

donna said...

Joey, I've never seen better pansy photos than these. Very impressive!

donna

Anonymous said...

Dear Joey, A very brief postscript to say that, unfortunately, I am unable to comment or post for the next ten days or so. But, I shall return!

Johnny Nutcase said...

whoa! so many excellent colors, beautiful!! Love the photos and the mosaic..happy shots!

Anonymous said...

Dear Joey, the pansies look good enough to eat. Sorry. There is hardly a more photogenic flower than this one with the sweet face, whiskers or no. The frittata and scones sound divine, perfect after a day working outside. :-)
Frances

Rose said...

Love the bright faces of all these pansies, especially the way you've combined them in these collages, Joey! The frittata sounds delicious; it's somewhat similar to a spinach quiche my daughter makes for us every time we visit. It's become one of our favorites.

Gail said...

Oh, they are the sweetest faces! The heat we had in early April has challenged them, but they continue to flower! Yummy recipes..I sure would love to be sharing a conversation with you over coffee and scones! xxgail

RURAL said...

So lovely, such a wide array of color. You have amazing patience to shoot each flower individually. But well worth the time, they are gorgeous. And would make a great poster.

Happy Spring.

Notice that I am putting in less, and less of the \\\, I'm trying. Still can't get used to this keyboard.

Jen

joey said...

Hi dear Kate and thanks. Time consuming, yes, but fun when there is time. I see that spring has found you :)

Thanks Chad. Have fun on your trip ... will be anxious to see your photos!

Wow, thank you so much, Donna :)

Hello, dear Edith. Do hope your time away is enjoyable!

Well, thank you JN ... loved your snails :)

... and they ARE good enough to eat, dear Frances! I love edible flowers ... pansies second to nasturtiums!

Thank you, dear Rose. As you might have noticed, I am a big lover of quiches and frittatas, a perfect meal!

I can think of nothing I'd like better, dear Gail! Except perhaps tiptoeing in the garden, sharing a glass of my May wine with you :)

Thanks, dear Jen. It WAS a fun project! Good luck on the keyboard :)