Fried Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

The first time I tasted a fried zucchini squash blossom, I didn't even know that zucchinis had blossoms. I had just started experimenting with zucchini, and so going into flower territory was very unknown to me. I was at one of my favorite restaurants in the East Bay, called À Côté. I was with my best friend, her mom, and my mom, and we went to town on that menu. We ordered this and that and everything in between, but somewhere hidden in the mess of things, were stuffed squash blossoms. It was love at first sight. I wanted to devour each and every single one on that plate, and was trés disappointed when they were gone. I knew that I had to have them again, so I left knowing we someday would meet again. 

This is not a true love story, though. Tragedy struck. I couldn't find squash blossoms ANYWHERE. Not at Farmer's Markets, not at specialty grocery stores, not at Whole Foods (the person I asked didn't even know what I was talking about). The struggle was real. I spent THREE. WHOLE. YEARS. Looking for squash blossoms. I read about them, saw them on blogs, and yet, I was left empty handed. Eventually, I became bitter and just sort of gave up... 

Until!!! I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and came across a fried zucchini squash blossom on Bi-Rite's Instagram page. The photo was lovely - and caught me by surprise. I sort of passed it in boredom, and then backtracked thinking I had seen a ghost. Why yes, the phantom squash blossoms ghost I have longed for were HERE! And so my next step was obvious - hit up Bi-Rite for some blossoms and get cookin. 

I came across a refreshingly simple and quick recipe by Giada De Laurentiis, and decided to give it a whack this evening. Although I was worrying that I couldn't find my deep fryer thermometer, Giada's bread trick really worked. The recipe was quick, fairly harmless (minus the small hot oil sizzles on the arm), and quite delectable. And it's an extra plus that with their wilted stems, they look like little mice. That tickled me. 

Get out there, enjoy the summer, and please, please please, if you see zucchini squash blossoms for sale, buy them for me if not for yourself. 

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sparkling water
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/3 cup ricotta, at room temperature
2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons heavy cream  
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 green onion, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
8 zucchini blossoms
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, water, and salt until smooth. Set aside

2. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, basil, and green onion. Mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons filling into each blossom. Close the blossoms and gently twist the petals to seal

3. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, a cube of bread will brown in about 1 minute. Dip the stuffed zucchini blossoms in the batter and allow any excess batter to drip off. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Allow the cooked blossoms to drain on paper towels. 

4. Season with salt and service with your favorite maninara sauce of a vinaigrette. I served mine with bolognese and egg papardelle.