“Batter Up”- Goat Cheese and Basil Fried Squash Blossoms

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, I’m sure you’ve heard the commercials for the LA County Fair and the copious amounts of fried food they were serving up through the month of September.

I’m pretty sure they were frying anything they could get their hands on. Everything from the usual, onion rings and mozzarella sticks to fried oreos, White Castle burgers and fried Spam.

Since I wasn’t able to make my way to the fair, I figure out a way to get my own fried food fix.

Thankfully, on Sunday I spent my morning frolicking through the Hollywood farmers market and picked up a few handfuls of some beautiful squash blossoms. These are the perfect vessels to stuff with delicious cheeses and herbs, then batter and fry ‘em!

What You Need:

10 Squash Blossoms, cleaned

½ Cup Goat Cheese

¼ Cup Shaved Parmesan

¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Basil

Salt/Pepper, to taste

1 ½ Cup AP Flour

Club Soda

Canola Oil

Sweet Chili Sauce, to dip

1. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, parmesan, basil, salt and pepper. Combine well and taste for seasoning. Then, open up each blossom and stuff a small amount of cheese filling into the base. Twist the top of the blossom to enclose the mixture. Set aside.

2. Then, in a medium bowl, combine the flour and enough club soda that brings the flour to a pancake batter consistency. Next, take each stuffed blossom and dip it into the batter, covering the entire flower. Allow excess batter to drip off and place onto a plate until ready you’re read to fry.

3. In a shallow frying pan, pour enough canola oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Bring the oil up to about 350 degrees (test a small amount of batter in the oil- if it sizzles, the oil is ready.)

4. Depending on the size of your pan, lay a few battered blossoms into the hot oil. Allow to fry on all sides, then remove from pan and lay it onto a paper towel lined sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper once removed from the oil.

*Serve with Sweet Chili Sauce