Sometimes I land on a particularly winning combo of flavors and it’s like when you find that song that’s so dang perfect you have to listen to it on repeat, like, twenty times a day. That song for me right now is Paul Simon’s The Obvious Child. Remember the video? Paul Simon strumming his guitar in the midst of all those enthusiastic drummers? I remember being so engaged by it as a kid.
So, the ingredients going on here – the basil, the charred corn and the smoky poblano, and the feta and goat cheeses – well, they work. Add a deep fry to the mix and you’ve got some addictive appetizer magic. The kind that you want to put on repeat in your mouth. Enjoy!
This recipe is part of The June Seasonal Food Guide
SQUASH BLOSSOMS STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE, CORN AND POBLANO PEPPERS
Yield: about 6 appetizer servings
12 squash blossoms
1/2 cup mild goat cheese
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/3 cup fresh corn kernels
1/4 cup diced poblano pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
vegetable oil for deep frying
salt + pepper to taste
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1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chilled sparkling water
First, prepare the pepper and corn by charring them over a gas stove. Place the poblano pepper on a skewer and let it sit over an open gas burner on your stove set at about medium. Turn it as each side begins to blacken and blister until most of the surface has charred. Set aside to cool. Once cool, remove the skin under running water. Lastly, dice the pepper and set aside.
Do the same with your ear of corn. Unlike the poblano, though, you don’t want to char it until it’s entirely black, just nicely browned. When the corn is cool enough to work with, stand it vertically and slice the kernels from the cob using a sharp knife.
In a mixing bowl, combine the feta and goat cheese with the diced poblano, corn and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Begin to heat your oil for frying a small or medium sized saucepan. Use a candy thermometer for accuracy. You want to fry these at 350 degrees.
Prepare the tempura batter: Add the flour to a mixing bowl, and stir in the sparkling water, stirring until just combined. A lumpy batter is perfect. Set aside until blossoms are ready.
Prepare the squash blossoms: remove the inner stamen by carefully inserting a finger and plucking it loose. It should come loose pretty easily, and if the blossom tears a little, it’s not the end of the world.
Once the stamens have been removed, measure one tablespoon of the filling and carefully stuff it into each squash blossom. Twist the top of the blossom to keep it closed.
Carefully roll the blossom in the batter. If the top comes loose, twist it again.
Place one or two blossoms in the hot oil at a time. Fry for about 2-3 minutes, until crisped and just a little golden.
Remove blossoms with tongs and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.
by Kimberley
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