Baked zucchini blossoms stuffed with cheese
Instructions:
- 2 ounces soft, fresh goat cheese (chevre);
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper;
- 1⁄4 teaspoon paprika;
- 24 zucchini blossoms;
- 2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil, divided.
- Form the cheese into 24 small balls the size of marbles. Stir together the salt, pepper, and paprika on a plate. Roll the balls in the salt mixture to season them. Cover loosely and refrigerate until the cheese is firm.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Lightly oil a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish.
- Gently rinse the blossoms in a bowl of cool water and pat dry. Trim and discard the green stems and short green sepals without cutting into the base of the blossom. Gently pry open the blossoms and break off and discard the fuzzy centers. If the petals stubbornly refuse to separate, use a small sharp knife to cut a small incision in one side of the blossom. Tuck a ball of cheese inside the blossoms and gently twist or fold the petals to enclose the cheese. Place the stuffed blossoms in a single layer in the prepared dish, working from the outside in to make a pretty spiral if you wish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and cover the pie plate with aluminum foil.
- Bake until the blossoms are soft, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove the foil because steam will billow out. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and serve at once.
- What else works? You can use blossoms from summer squash, winter squash, or pumpkins. Vary the size of the cheese balls according to the size of the blossoms. You can use soft herbed cheese, such as Boursin, instead of the goat cheese, but omit the salt, pepper, and paprika. You can also use cream cheese instead of the goat cheese, but increase the salt, pepper, and paprika.