Monday, September 19, 2011

Fried Stuffed Squash Blossoms – So Good, You’ll Have Them Standing!

I try to stay as seasonal as possible when choosing which food wishes to film, so I’m pushing it a little bit here with these goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms. 

They’re generally thought of as more of a springtime thing, but are available into fall. In fact, if I’m remembering my past zucchini growing experiences correctly, the hearty vines seemed to produce blossoms right up until the first frost.

You can substitute cream cheese for the goat if you’re one of them fromage wusses, but the tang of the goat cheese makes it for me (at least use mascarpone if you’re going to desecrate my recipe). I like to add a little of another melty-type cheese just for fun, and here I went with a Arti Gasna, a Basque sheep’s milk cheese. It was amazing.

The batter is ultra-light and absorbs virtually no oil. You are welcome to use club soda or a light beer for the batter, but I had neither and think cold water works perfectly anyway. 

You’ll notice me using self-rising flour, because I had it, and it really does work beautifully. If you need to make your own it’s: 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

This is one of those recipes that is best eaten standing in the kitchen at a party. This needs to be done in small batches to be enjoyed in all its glory. You can stuff them ahead of time, of course, and then in the middle of the party, heat up the oil and start frying. Serve a few guests at a time as they wander in and out of the kitchen, and see what happens. Spoiler alert: people love them and think you’re awesome. Enjoy!


For the batter:
2 parts self-rising flour
1 part cornstarch
enough cold water to form a pancake-like batter consistency
For the blossoms (for 12):
12 squash blossoms
3/4 cup soft goat cheese
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup shredded gruyere, cheddar, manchego, or any other firm cheese
black pepper and cayenne to taste
vegetable oil for frying

View the complete recipe

32 comments:

Joel said...

Where can one find squash blossoms other than a personal garden?

Anders said...

These look incredibly delicious. I have never tried to deep fry anything before, but seeing how easy it looks I should give it a try. Now for the question, where do you get your squash blossoms?

Elizzaruth said...

I don't love goat cheese in huge amounts. Might try it with ricotta and Parmesan if I can track down some blossoms.

DrEEEEEEE said...

Chef John, I believe your squash blossom is showing.

Chef John said...

Search your local foodie message boards on yelp or chowhound. If they are in your area people will know where. Good luck!

Pauli Smith said...

How would Velveeta work instead of the goat cheese? I have 3/4s of a box sitting in my fridge and need ti rid of it.

Grams Pam said...

@Pauli Smith .. gross! Just throw it away and don't think about trying to find a way to use velveeta! (did you read the box? it's a 'processed food product" ... what the heck does that even mean?)

Anonymous said...

As far as videos involving reproductive organs stuffed with cheese, this is the first one I've seen without poorly overdubbed German dialogue.

Anonymous said...

We just enjoyed your regular peach cobler recipe last night, we finished the whole pan...sooo good!
As always...I enjoy watching your videos :-)
Dorothea

Jay M. said...

Chef John, another W for you. Good call on the makeshift piping bag. Here's another variation with ricotta and garden herbs, although Viviane removes the stamen from the flower first, due to its bitterness. Do you find that to be the case, or does the goat cheese take care of it?

Either way, these look awesome.

DrEE said...

I can promise you that Velveeta will turn out nothing like goat cheese. Throw that junk away!

Kathryn | Dramatic Pancake said...

Hi John, I just recently stumbled on your blog and am sorry I didn't do so sooner! Fantastic recipes and impressive videos -- I'll definitely be back!

Brooke @ Foodwoolf said...

Squash blossoms (Mozza, Nancy Silverton Style) changed my life. But then again, so did you.

It's so great getting to know you through your posts, your humor, and great recipes.

That is why, of course, I'm nominating you for best unique blog in the Food Buzz awards.

Hope you win!
xoxox

Anonymous said...

Thanks! I have piles of squash blossoms and the store has been oddly out of ricotta in my last 3 visits.

Jay M. said...

http://foodandstyle.com/2009/07/22/pan-fried-zucchini-flowers/

Forgot to add the link.

Also hoping that velveeta comment was a joke... Unless you want to make some bar nachos ;)

Chef John said...

I've never removed the stamen, or found it too bitter, but I can see removing it to have more room. I'll have to try it next time. Thanks!

Mrs. L said...

I saw squash blossoms for sale at a local farmers market several weeks ago. I have to go back to see if they are still selling them to try to make these!

JoAnn said...

Chef John, I loved this recipe.
Reminded me of poached blossoms with foie gras from Tonga in the South Pacific. Check out this recipe http://thisdamecooks.com/2009/05/appetizers-poached-squash-blossoms/

JoAnn said...

Whole Foods Market carries frozen squash blossoms. They're great in minestrone soup too.

Chef John said...

Brooke,

Thank you for your lovely comment and nomination! Very high praise indeed! I love that you enjoy the blog. XOXO

Rita said...

i would've never thought of eating squash blossom, but that doesn't mean i'm not going to try this recipe. sounds too interesting to pass up!

by the way, would panko work for the batter?

Anonymous said...

Given that my squash plants are producing about 10 flowers a day (and no squash, at least none that survive the deer and squirrels), do you have any other ideas of what to do with it? Omelet? taco? pesto? I've seen these online but the flavors feel a little delicate for that. Not sure what I'd do with a blossom pesto though it looked beautiful and yellow (online).

Anonymous said...

I was thinking of taking it in a sweeter direction and wanted to use ginger beer instead of water. I expect that the sugar would cause them to brown faster in the oil, but would this matter given the short cooking time? Also, would the extra sugar make the batter heavier or is this offset by the carbonation?

Chef John said...

not sure... only one way to find out ;-)

Exce55ive said...

This is great chef John!
Specially since Blossoms are the only thing my Zucchini plants are producing this year.

Anonymous said...

any other suggestion for the types of blossom????? =(

Anonymous said...

Holy Goat cheese! Amazing! This was my first time eating goat cheese, deep frying anything, or eating a flower for that matter. I think goat cheese is so delicious you could put it in anything and have a decent recipe...
I ate 3 and some raw filling and feel a bit green, I guess raw eggs and rich cheese should be had in moderation!
Great recipe though, thank you for sharing.

Bavaria said...

Chef John,

Thank you so very much for the squash flower recipe. I took Tetes-des-Moines Cheese, a very tasty swiss Cheese instead of the goat cheese and it turned out to be absolutely great!! I entertained and needed about 30 blossoms, my zucchini and squash plants didn't provide this amount, so I took pumpkin flowers too (Hokaido pumpkins), they work very well.

I just found your site a couple of days ago (I wished I would have earlier...) and I am addicted to it. I live in Germany and some of your ingredients are not available here, so I need to substitute. That's even more fun.

Thanks again, I can't wait for the white gazpacho recipe :-)

Anonymous said...

Why blanch? It ruins the blossoms. Just stuff the blossom fresh and twist the end. You just wreck the blossoms by dumping them in boiling water. They are fragile. I mean, duh.

Chef John said...

Blanching removes some of the bitterness and makes them seem sweeter. Duh.

Adoring Family said...

Thank you for this video! We have tons of beautiful blossoms. Can't wait to try this tonight. I LOVEEEEE your videos! You make it look simple and I am always inspired!

Unknown said...

These look amazing, thanks for the recipe! Any idea if arrowroot is a good replacement for corn starch? If not, what is? Thanks in advance.