Raccoon and Lobster

Squash blossoms have arrived at the farmer’s market!

They are very delicate and should be eaten within a day of purchase and ideally within a few hours, so I had to get to cooking and get these lovely flowers in my stomach ASAP. One of the most common ways to prepare them is by stuffing them with a soft cheese mixture, dipping them in batter, and deep frying. My specific recipe is based on my pantry contents at the time, all quantities are approximate. The end result was delicious and and had a faint zucchini flavor.

Fried Squash Blossoms

~12 squash blossoms
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/4 cup chives , minced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup cornmeal (can also use flour or masa harina)
vegetable oil

To prepare the blossoms, rinse gently with water and drain. Gently open the flower and clean out the inside of any insects or debris and trim off the reproductive organs. For male blossoms, trim the stem to about 1″ long. For female blossoms, you can leave the squash on if desired.

Mix together the goat cheese, mascarpone, chives, and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste.  Roll about a teaspoon of cheese into a ball and stuff into the blossom and gently close the petals and twist the ends to hold the filling. Repeat with all blossoms.

Beat together the eggs and milk and dip the blossoms into the mixture, and then roll it in the cornmeal.

Fill a skillet with about 1″ of oil and heat to 350°F. Fry the blossoms in small batches until golden brown. Drain over a baking rack and serve immediately.

Or maybe just sick of reading about tarts? Well snap out of it, because this one is a doozy. I am extremely proud of how this came out. I have almost no recipes involving fruit because I prefer to eat my fruit au naturel. Rare is the recipe that can persuade me to spend time on a fruit dish when I can just eat it plain. Living in Southern California, ripe seasonal fruit from the Farmer’s Market is so good there’s no point in adding anything else to jazz it up. I buy oranges in 25lb bags fer christ’s sake. But this…this tart is magic.

And for those of you reading who are scared of baking because it’s “the math of cooking” (as if that’s a bad thing!) this tart technically requires an oven, but even a toaster oven would work. Don’t be scared! You don’t even really need a handheld mixer, although it does make for a smoother end result.

Nectarine, Mascarpone, and Gingersnap Tart
adapted from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Bon Appetit
Makes one 8″ tart

24 gingersnap cookies, about 4 oz
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grind the gingersnaps in a food processor, or just put it inside a heavy duty ziploc bag and crush it with a rolling pin. Melt the butter and mix it with the crumbs and then press the mixture firmly onto the bottom and sides of the tart pan. You can use the bottom of a measuring cup or small glass to get the bottom flat and the sides straight. Bake for about 8 minutes, until nicely toasted. That’s it! You are now done with the baking portion. Let the crust cool completely. (Oh, and as a side note, this is my new favorite crust. Graham cracker can sit in the corner and cry itself to sleep because gingersnap is better in every conceivable way.)

6 oz of mascarpone cheese
4 oz of cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Beat until smooth with a mixer or the old fashioned way with a spoon in a Disney bowl . Spread in the crust, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours, or up to a day.

Top with sliced nectarines. Gently brush with warmed peach jam if desired. I didn’t have any and I thought it was amazing. One final note: the original recipe calls for crystallized ginger, which Smitten Kitchen rejects as too much. I did not add any to the topping but I did use Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Snaps which contain crystallized ginger. When ground up in the food processor and made into the crust, it gave a nice kick but didn’t interfere with the filling or topping. I think my way is the perfect compromise.