Want a fancy weekend appetiser to make for your Saturday evening festivities? Try these Tempura Zucchini flowers with Black Cherry Compote & Vinaigrette by @veganonthegc
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Preparation time: 20 minutes, cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes 4-6 zucchini flowers
INGREDIENTS
Cherry Compote:
14-16 black cherries
1 Tbs coconut sugar
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 small beetroot, grated
1-2 tsp black cherry vinegar
Zucchini Flowers
4-6 large zucchini flowers, with or without zucchini attached
3 TBS TVD Ashed Chevre or Dill Chevre
2 sticks TVD Persian Feta
1-2 garlic cloves minced
5-6 baby capers, crushed
1 tsp lemon zest or preserved lemon
Tempura Batter:
125g Plain flour
1 pinch of baking powder
1 tsp cornflour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
230ml ice-cold sparkling water
Rice Bran oil, for frying
Cherry Viniagrette
1Tbs black cherry vinegar
1 tsp Wholegrain mustard
1 Tbs light oil like walnut
METHOD:
🍒 Cherry Compote: In saucepan place onion, sugar, beetroot, cherries & vinegar. Simmer over low heat until reduced, soft and sticky
🍒 Tempura Flowers: Remove stamen carefully from the zucchini flowers – tweezers can be a good tool for this! In a bowl mix chevre, feta, garlic, capers & zest. Carefully spoon mixture into the flower until ¾ full & twist the petals to close. A piping bag can be useful for this job
🍒 Tempura Batter: Mix flour, cornflour, baking powder, salt & pepper. Using chopsticks mix the batter to stir in the sparkling water until just combined – don’t over mix
🍒 Heat rice bran oil in a saucepan to medium hot. Holding the end of the flower gently swirl the flower through the batter to coat & gently lower the tip of the flower into the oil. Allow the batter to cook & float before lowering the whole flower into the oil. Gently turn fry until golden. Adjust temperature if needed; remove and drain on absorbent paper
🍒 Serve sliced through the centre on top of a spoonful of cherry compote with Cherry Vinaigrette – whisk together cherry vinegar, mustard & oil. If you don’t have cherry vinegar you could use sherry or champagne vinegar and add 1tsp of cherry compote or jam.
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