Appetizer: Fried Cheese-Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Here is a delicious recipe I tweaked a little by Giada De Laurentiis for fried cheese-stuffed zucchini flowers.

First, you will need:
-6 to 8  male zucchini flowers with the stems still attached (Male zucchini blossoms can be found at your local farmers market or any specialty food stores. Call ahead of time though. Some stores can order them in for you if they do not have them in stock. Also, the flowers should be cooked and served the same day they are picked. They are hard to handle once they become limp)
-Vegetable oil, for frying
-1 large, heavy pot
-platter lined with two paper towels

Batter:
2 large egg yolks
1 cup club soda (or cold water)
1 cup all-purpose flour
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
herbs de provence (dried herbs) or dried italian seasonings

In a deep mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks and pour in the club soda (or ice water); mix to combine. Add the flour and continue to mix until the batter is the consistency of heavy cream (if you don't want such a heavy batter do not include the egg yolks). Set aside.

Mix these ingridients together to form the filling for the flowers:
1/3 cup goat cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
2 tsp minced garlic
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of pepper

Pour 3 inches of oil in a deep fryer or large, heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees F.

Carefully remove the hard stamens from inside the flowers. Make a piping bag by using a ziplock bag. Fill the bag with the filling, twist the top, and snip off one of the bottom corners of the bag. Carefully squeeze some of the filling into the flower and seal the top of the flower by lightly twisting it (spooning it in works too, it can tear the flower though so be careful. I actually used a turkey baster..it works just fine).

Dip each zucchini flower, one at a time, in the batter to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. Fry the flowers in the hot oil for 2 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Drain the fried flowers on a platter lined with paper towels, season with salt and pepper while they are still hot.

Serve with a light dipping sauce (marinara, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or soy sauce works)