Zucchini Blossom Beignet
Zucchini Blossom Beignet: the perfect answer to a garden overrun with zucchini
There always seems to that one definable moment in the summer when your springtime fantasies of planting too much zucchini meets the harsh reality that you now have more zucchini than you could possibly ever eat. In terror, you start rummaging through hundreds of cookbooks and online sources, looking for any word that slightly resembles zucchini to cook recipes from. Friends stop answering your calls for fear that you may try to unload another shopping bag on them and neighbors cautiously keep an eye on you as you near their front porches.Well fear no more, I have the perfect solution: Zucchini Blossom Beignet, an easy to make celebration of your harvest, that culls your crop in the tastiest of ways.
At this time of year, restaurants and farmer's markets across Provence are saturated with zucchini blossoms. They appear on menus in a variety of forms and guises, stuffed with ratatouille or ricotta, turned into pesto and tossed with Dungeness crab and pasta or simply deep-fried as beignets. I even have stuffed a whole small fish into one and baked it. What are your favorite zucchini blossom recipes?[gallery type="rectangular" size="full" ids="8072,8073,8074,7561,8076"]Pour yourself a large glass of rose and give this simple recipe a try this weekend. We love seeing what your cooking, so share the results with us using the hashtag #PistouandPastis.
Zucchini Blossom Beignet
Crispy batter fried zucchini blossoms
beignet batter
- 1.5 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pinch baking powder
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon Espelette pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups water
everything else
- 1 quart oil
- 16 zucchini blossoms
- sea salt
- Espelette pepper
- 1 cup rouille, or another dipping sauce
beignet batter
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Mix flour, salt, baking powder, herbs de Provence, and Espelette pepper.
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Mix egg yolk, olive oil, and water.
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Lightly white egg white.
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Add egg yolk mixture to dry ingredients, then fold in egg white.
everything else
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Heat oil to 350 degrees.
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Dip zucchini blossoms one by one into the batter, then into hot oil. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry till golden brown, turning a few times, about three minutes. Drain on paper towels.
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Season with salt and pepper and enjoy with rouille, or whatever dip you like.