Cinnamon & Honey Fried Zucchini Blossoms – How to Fry Zucchini Blossoms

Picture this: New York City, the lower east side. It’s eight o’clock on a Saturday morning. The only thing moving in the streets is the litter of stray newspapers and plastic bags that dance about in the early breeze. The vagabonds sleep on their cardboard beds. Empty beer cans discarded from last night’s revelers roll down the sidewalk. And the only sound I hear on the other end of the phone line is silence. I called my good friend Smoz again. Still, silence. We were looking forward to a day of hiking, but there I stood alone, waiting for him on 8th and Broadway, far from the trees and mountains, waiting for our lines to connect. No answer. Two hours later, as I took advantage of my free time to meander about in the Union Square Farmers’ Market, I got a frantic call, “Con! Sorry! I overslept! I’m a big, terrible, JERK!” He cried into the phone as he fumbled in panic. That’s ok Smoz. The mountain views we were supposed to enjoy in the Catskills were adequately replaced with some colorful red carrots, fresh edible blossoms, and juicy donut peaches. And inspiration for the recipe below.

I created this recipe not really knowing what I was doing (but aren’t they all that way?) The edibles flowers intrigued me, so I asked the girl selling them how to prepare them. She said you can stuff them with cheese or fry them…The only time I’ve eaten them was at Mexican restaurants, so I knew I liked them. I wanted to try something sweet to contrast the light bitterness of the blossoms. Honey and cinnamon worked well without completely taking over the taste of the dish. Enjoy as an appetizer, dessert or snack!

Honey & Cinnamon Zucchini Blossoms

Ingredients:

Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil, these oils smoke at a higher temperature, so the blossoms will come out crispy, not wilted

Fresh Zuchinni Blossoms- 10 or more

Cinnamon

Honey

Method: Cover the bottom of the pan with oil, until it’s about 1/8 inch deep. Heat on Med-High. Gas stoves are hotter, so right in the middle is good. Let the pan heat for about two minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Separate the blossoms and spread some paper towels on a serving plate. Place the flowers in the pan, do not let them touch! They will cook more evenly if they are separated. Fry until they turn a deep golden brown. You might have to flip them. When they have browned, carefully remove the hot fragile fried flowers out of the oil (with tongs or a spatula) and place on the paper towels to soak up excess oil. When they have cooled enough to touch, transfer them to the baling sheet, drizzle honey and cinnamon on top just enough to taste. Now, for the final step, open your mouth and drop them in, one by one.