Fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Honey Mascarpone
My significant other recently brought home a pint of fresh squash blossoms from the YMCA farm stand (Kingston, NY). Dinner was already planned but with a short shelf life and ideas flowing I created this dessert recipe with slightly sweetened mascarpone cheese and a crisp fried rice flour coating to bring out the sweet, melony flavors of this unique (albeit fleeting) ingredient. Fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Honey Mascarpone is fitting warm weather dessert, and a light unexpected way to end a meal.
Squash blossoms have a short shelf life, so it’s best to use them the day they are picked. Mine were 2 days past the picking date, I revived them for stuffing with a quick cold water bath for several minutes, before draining on paper towels.
The farmers market is one of my favorite sources of seasonal inspiration – this shrimp salad with blackberries and apricot vinaigrette came together the same way, from a haul of summer ingredients too beautiful to leave behind.”
What Are Squash Blossoms?
Squash blossoms are the flowers that bloom on squash as they ripen. Their season is short, their shelf life shorter. To truly capture the flavors of the squash blossom ( flowery, melony and a tad bit herbal) I used light ingredients to stuff the flowers and and a delicate coating of rice flour to add a touch of crispiness to the petals of the squash blossom.
Savory versus Sweet
Savory versus Sweet when it comes to Squash Blossoms; so many recipes for squash blossoms are savory, (they apparently make a great taco filling!) But for this recipe I wanted to bring the delicate floral flavors out of this unique culinary ingredient out. Most published fried squash blossom recipes feature ricotta cheese as a savory filling, but for this recipe I wanted something a little sweeter.
A whipped filling of mascarpone cheese with honey was the perfect addition to these little creamsicle hued fried blossoms. Piping the filling into the flowers is simple if you have a piping bag, if not you can snip the corner of a sandwich bag off after filling with the mascarpone cheese and that will work just as well.
If you love cooking with edible flowers, the wild violet recipe guide covers everything from violet jelly to sugared flowers and floral ice cream.
Ingredients
This recipe turned out perfectly, with the slight crunch from the crispy rice flour coated(gluten free!) squash blossom petals, and a filling of warm, honey sweetened smooth, creamy cheese.
Every new, fresh farmers market ingredient is both a challenge in the kitchen and an opportunity for exploration. The squash flowers look delicate, but the petals were actually surprising easy to pipe the filling into.
Coating the Squash Blossoms for Frying
Coating the blossoms before coating gives the petals a crisp, crunchy texture before the honey sweetened filling is bitten into on the inside. I chose to use milk instead of egg before dredging in the rice flour, because I wanted to keep the petals as they naturally should be: delicate.
A quick dip in rice flour is all the squash blossoms need before they are dropped into hot vegetable oil for frying. You may need to open the petals and do an other dip to ensure both sides of the petals are evenly coated.
Squash blossoms sit at the edge of the foraging calendar – if seasonal and foraged ingredients excite you, the full spring foraging guide is a good place to explore what else is worth picking throughout the year.
If you love simple, elegant summer desserts made with seasonal ingredients, this apricot chamomile clafoutis is another beautiful recipe worth making while stone fruit is at its peak.
Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Honey Mascarpone and Lightly Fried
Equipment
- Piping Bag or small plastic bag
Ingredients
- 1 pint Fresh Squash Blossoms about 13 buds
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup milk (whole)
- ¼ cup rice flour
Instructions
- Mix the honey into the mascarpone cheese in a small bowl.
- Using a piping bag equipped with a small tip or a sandwich bag with corner snipped off, pipe the cheese into the bottom of the blossoms, filing until they puff up slightly. Continue until all squash blossoms are filled.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, as the oil heats, set up 2 bowls, one filled with milk the other filled with rice flour.
- When the oil is hot, dip the blossoms quickly into the milk then coat with rice flour making sure to dust flour on the inside of the blossom petals as well.
- Trying not to overcrowd the pan, drop the blossoms into the oil and fry lightly for 1-2 minutes, before removing to a plate covered with a paper towel for draining. Repeat until all of the blossoms have been fried.
- Serve the fried squash blossoms immediately.
Absolutely love! Also, great to know that there are gluten-free options for coating. Definitely pleased to know that squash blossoms can be revived if they have wilted for filling and light frying!