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"A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch." - James Beard


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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Fried Zucchini Blossoms


Ever had a fried zucchini blossom?  It is a very interesting, delicious treat!


If you don’t do what we did, it’s also not that difficult.

As you’ve seen, we have a colossal zucchini plant in our garden. I wanted to taste the blossoms.  We considered stuffing them but ended up trying them battered without stuffing.


Here’s a tip that we didn’t know until after we picked the blossoms: Pick them in the morning when they’re open, otherwise they’re full of bees!


When the blossoms are closed they twist up and trap bees and bugs inside.  We had to open them up and set the critters free and take out the stamen before starting the cooking.  


I rinsed them well, then set a whole 750mL bottle of grapeseed oil in a cast iron pot to heat.  It gave me about 2 inches of oil in the pot.  I slowly heated it to 350 degrees while I made the batter.


I've never used grapeseed oil before and I loved it! It is so light and scentless.  It was great. 


The batter is a cup of flour, a teaspoon of baking soda, an egg and ¾ cup of beer with a little salt and pepper.


Add it all to a bowl...


And whisk together to form a batter similar in texture to pancake batter.  Don't worry about a few lumps.


Dredge the zucchini blossoms in a little plain flour.


Then dip the blossom in the batter and shake off the excess.


Gently place the battered blossom in the hot oil. You can add a few at a time but don't crowd them.


They only need a few minutes to cook. Once they start to brown, flip them over and then when they're light brown, remove them carefully from the oil and drain on paper towels.


Sprinkle with a little sea salt and eat while hot!


These are creamy and delicious inside.  You can stuff them with ricotta or mozzarella and anchovy, but they're delicious plain.  


I don't deep fry often and I thought it was a little intimidating but it was easy and totally worth it!

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