The last of my peonies is just finished blooming and it’s just a beaut this year. I’ve also got a new climbing rose to replace the one that died in the fence fire a few years back.  The Lincoln peas are going to town and it’s not long til the first harvest. I’ve also got blooms on my zucchini though the plants are shrimpy and anemic.

Daniel lobbied hard for pancakes for breakfast on his last morning before departing to KC for the summer. Who was I to say no? I made blueberry pancakes. He topped his with maple syrup but I must always have honey for pancakes and if that’s not available I just use jam or jelly. That does get me some odd looks in restaurants. I also like fluffy thick pancakes and usually I whip the egg whites separately to fold into the batter. These turned out nice and fluffy without that so I’ll probably make a permanent change to my recipe.

Blueberry Pancakes

2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup blueberries

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine wet ingredients and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just moistened, there should still be some lumps.

For each pancake spoon out about 1/4 cup batter with a ladle onto a lightly oiled griddle. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.

Despite thunderstorms that brought lightning, heavy rains, and 1/4-1/2-inch hail, Daniel’s flight left on time in the early evening. While Jason dropped him off at the airport I made dinner for two. The only fiddly bit was creating the phyllo cups. I’d briefly considered puff pastry ones that are premade but they didn’t quite seem to fit the bill.

Crab Maque Choux

phyllo dough
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups fresh corn kernels
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small red chili pepper, minced
1/2 cup minced shallot
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
6 ounces crabmeat, picked over for shells

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Thaw phyllo dough at room temperature for 2 hours. On a cutting board place one sheet of phyllo dough and brush with melted butter. Stack a second sheet atop the first, again brushing with butter. Continue in this manner until 8 sheets have been stacked and buttered. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 6 squares and transfer each into a ramekin or coffeecup buttered side down. Repeat with another 8 sheets so that you have a total of 12 phyllo cups. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.

For the maque choux, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn and shallots to the pan and saute until the corn begins to soften, 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add remaining vegetables and herbs and cook until heated through, another 3 or 4 minutes. Toss in crab and serve atop phyllo nests.