Tempura Zucchini Blossoms

A fantastic treat, particularly common in Italy at the height of summer. Picked from the ends of zucchinis/courgettes and their plants, zucchini flowers can often be found at markets and stores selling fresh produce but they don't keep very long so should be purchased closed, then washed and cooked within a day of being picked.

By whisking equal parts DS' gluten-free flour mix with some strong sparkling water (the more carbonation, the lighter the batter will be) and a dash of salt and pepper, we had a perfect tempura batter. The batter should cling to the blossoms and drip off any excess so add more liquid to lower viscosity if need be. Over-whisking will deflate the batter so no need to over work it and any small lumps will simply cling to the blossoms and fry up to give an extra crunch anyway. The rice flour component of the mix definitely added to the crisp texture illustrating how gluten-free can sometimes trump the more conventional wheat flour. A couple of minutes deep-frying til golden and there we have my new favourite thing.