Blue Corn Tempura Battered Squash Blossoms

 
 

Red Pepper Coulis, Stuffed with Ricotta and Zucchini

Daniel Sharp of Intercambio in Oaxaca, MX

Daniel (@chefsharp) is currently the executive chef at Intercambio in Oaxaca, Mexico. He grew up in California, worked at Chez Panisse, and was the Director of Culinary Operations for The Meatball Shop Group. He once cooked a gigantic meatball on the Rachel Ray show. He’s a ‘Chopped Champion’ and he taught 8 virtual cooking classes with Lanyap Cookery.

 
 

Yield: 20 to 24 pieces, or 4 to 6 plated servings

Ingredients:

Roasted Red Pepper Coulis:

  • 1 red bell pepper

  • 1/4 red onion

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • Kosher salt, to taste

For the squash blossoms:

  • 20 to 24 squash blossoms

  • Parmesan to garnish

  • Flour for dusting

For the stuffing:

  • 1 tablespoon flour

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1/4 cup milk

  • 1/2 pound ricotta

  • 1/4 pound mozzarella, diced into small (1/8”) pieces

  • 2 small zucchini

  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

  • 1/4 cup sour cream

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper, 4 to 5 twists

  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

For the batter:

  • 4 tablespoons blue corn flour

    • other colors of corn flour can also be used

  • 4 tablespoons AP flour

  • 4 tablespoons corn starch

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon ground oregano

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Ice water

Method:

For the red pepper coulis:

  1. Over direct flame, roast the bell pepper until all of the skin blisters and blackens. Place the pepper in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, or put it in a container with a lid to steam and help release the skin.

  2. Once the red pepper is cool enough to handle, remove the skin, seeds, and membrane. Roughly chop the pepper and set it to the side.

  3. Dice the red onion and garlic.

  4. Heat up a pan over medium to low heat. Add the canola oil, red onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sweat the onions until they are soft, but not browning.

  5. Add paprika and toast for 30 seconds. Add the chopped roasted red pepper and vinegar and heat until bubbling. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender.

  6. Add olive oil and a large pinch of salt to the blender. Blend until smooth. Taste for salt and acidity. Add more salt or vinegar, to taste, as needed. Optional: Strain for a more uniform sauce. Serve at room temperature.

For the stuffing:

  1. Small dice the zucchini. Working in batches, if needed, cook until the zucchini is browned on all sides. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.

  2. Heat butter and flour in a small pot. Once bubbling, add milk while whisking. Continue whisking over the heat to thicken to a paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

  3. Add the ricotta, mozzarella, cooked zucchini, basil, parsley, sour cream, salt, black pepper, and olive oil to the mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.

Filling the squash blossoms:

  1. Open the flower up on one side and carefully cut out the stamen. Leave the stem attached, but trim if it’s longer than an inch or browned at the bottom.

  2. Carefully fill the blossoms with a heaping tablespoon of the stuffing and close the petals around them. Squeeze gently to ensure the mixture is evenly distributed to the tips of the petals. The goal is to make them longer and of uniform thickness, rather than shorter and larger in the middle. This will help when we fry them.

  3. Lightly flour the stuffed blossoms and place on a baking tray. Place the tray in the freezer for a minimum of 1 hour. This will make the flower easier to handle and they won’t lose shape when coating them in the batter. They can be completely frozen if you are preparing them to cook another day.

Making the blue corn tempura batter:

  1. Combine all of the dry ingredients well in a large bowl.

  2. Add ice water slowly, stirring with your fingers. Continue adding ice water until the batter coats your finger but any excess drips of quickly. The consistency should be like a thin pancake batter. The thinner the batter the more airy and crunchy it will be, but if it’s too thin it won’t coat the squash blossoms completely.

Frying the squash blossoms:

  1. Heat up 4 quarts of oil in an 8 quart or larger pot to 325F.

  2. Remove the blossoms from the freezer. Working in a batch of 5 or 6 at a time, coat them with the batter and gently place in the fryer. Once all are in the oil, drizzle a little extra batter on top of them for some extra crunchies.

  3. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes or until a metal skewer placed through the center is hot to the touch (160F). Drain on paper towels. Clean the oil by removed any bits floating around and let it return to 325F before doing another batch. The blossoms can be refried for 30 seconds to heat them back up if they have cooled off.

  4. Splatter the red pepper coulis on your serving plate, then arrange the fried blossoms on top. Grate parmesan on top and serve.

squash blossoms
snack, dinner
Yield: 4-6
Author: Daniel Sharp
Blue Corn Tempura Battered Squash Blossoms

Blue Corn Tempura Battered Squash Blossoms

Ingredients

Roasted Red Pepper Coulis:
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt, to taste
For the squash blossoms:
  • 20 to 24 squash blossoms
  • Parmesan to garnish
  • Flour for dusting
For the stuffing:
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 pound ricotta
  • 1/4 pound mozzarella, diced into small (1/8”) pieces
  • 2 small zucchini
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, 4 to 5 twists
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
For the batter:
  • 4 tablespoons blue corn flour
  • other colors of corn flour can also be used
  • 4 tablespoons AP flour
  • 4 tablespoons corn starch
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Ice water

Instructions

For the red pepper coulis:
  1. Over direct flame, roast the bell pepper until all of the skin blisters and blackens. Place the pepper in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, or put it in a container with a lid to steam and help release the skin.
  2. Once the red pepper is cool enough to handle, remove the skin, seeds, and membrane. Roughly chop the pepper and set it to the side.
  3. Dice the red onion and garlic.
  4. Heat up a pan over medium to low heat. Add the canola oil, red onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sweat the onions until they are soft, but not browning.
  5. Add paprika and toast for 30 seconds. Add the chopped roasted red pepper and vinegar and heat until bubbling. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender.
  6. Add olive oil and a large pinch of salt to the blender. Blend until smooth. Taste for salt and acidity. Add more salt or vinegar, to taste, as needed. Optional: Strain for a more uniform sauce. Serve at room temperature.
For the stuffing:
  1. Small dice the zucchini. Working in batches, if needed, cook until the zucchini is browned on all sides. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
  2. Heat butter and flour in a small pot. Once bubbling, add milk while whisking. Continue whisking over the heat to thicken to a paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
  3. Add the ricotta, mozzarella, cooked zucchini, basil, parsley, sour cream, salt, black pepper, and olive oil to the mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Filling the squash blossoms:
  1. Open the flower up on one side and carefully cut out the stamen. Leave the stem attached, but trim if it’s longer than an inch or browned at the bottom.
  2. Carefully fill the blossoms with a heaping tablespoon of the stuffing and close the petals around them. Squeeze gently to ensure the mixture is evenly distributed to the tips of the petals. The goal is to make them longer and of uniform thickness, rather than shorter and larger in the middle. This will help when we fry them.
  3. Lightly flour the stuffed blossoms and place on a baking tray. Place the tray in the freezer for a minimum of 1 hour. This will make the flower easier to handle and they won’t lose shape when coating them in the batter. They can be completely frozen if you are preparing them to cook another day.
Making the blue corn tempura batter:
  1. Combine all of the dry ingredients well in a large bowl.
  2. Add ice water slowly, stirring with your fingers. Continue adding ice water until the batter coats your finger but any excess drips of quickly. The consistency should be like a thin pancake batter. The thinner the batter the more airy and crunchy it will be, but if it’s too thin it won’t coat the squash blossoms completely.
Frying the squash blossoms:
  1. Heat up 4 quarts of oil in an 8 quart or larger pot to 325F.
  2. Remove the blossoms from the freezer. Working in a batch of 5 or 6 at a time, coat them with the batter and gently place in the fryer. Once all are in the oil, drizzle a little extra batter on top of them for some extra crunchies.
  3. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes or until a metal skewer placed through the center is hot to the touch (160F). Drain on paper towels. Clean the oil by removed any bits floating around and let it return to 325F before doing another batch. The blossoms can be refried for 30 seconds to heat them back up if they have cooled off.
  4. Splatter the red pepper coulis on your serving plate, then arrange the fried blossoms on top. Grate parmesan on top and serve.

Notes

Check out lanyapcookery.com for more chef recipes and on-demand cooking classes!

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