Description
Serve these crispy blossoms alongside a fresh garden salad, fresh fish or just by themselves.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 zucchini blossoms
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 radish
- 8oz (approx 230g) cream cheese, softened
- pinch of salt
- Tempura batter
- flour for dredging
- oil for frying
- sea salt for salting
Instructions
- Place a bowl in the freezer big enough to hold your tempura batter.
- Clean the zucchini blossoms by gently opening the flower and checking for small bugs. With a damp paper towel, brush off any debris.
- Thoroughly wash the radish and thyme. Pat the thyme dry with a clean kitchen towel and remove the stem. Trim the top and root from the radish. Mince both the radish and thyme on a cutting board and toss into a bowl.
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl and season with salt. Mix thoroughly with a fork.
- Gently open the zucchini blossoms, careful not to tear them if possible. Hold the petals open with two fingers and with a small spoon, gently (I cannot stress this enough), fill the inside of the zucchini blossom with the cream cheese mixture. Make sure to leave enough room to gently twist the tips of the petals to close the flower and set aside. Repeat with the rest of the blossoms.
- In a deep pan, heat 2 inches (about 5cm) of oil to 360F (182C) or when a piece of bread (1 inch) takes a minute to brown.
- While waiting for the oil, prepare the tempura batter in the chilled bowl.
- Place the flour in a shallow dish and dredge the blossoms in it, shaking off the excess before dipping each blossom into the tempura. Immediately place the blossoms into the hot oil. Cook until the blossoms become golden brown and the bubbles are larger and less frequent. Should be only about 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer each blossom to a plate lined with paper towels to drain of excess oil with a slotted spoon or tongs.
- If preparing in batches, allow the heat to come back up to 360F (182C) before doing another batch.
- Sprinkle the blossoms lightly with flaky sea salt to taste.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Appetiser
- Cuisine: American