I had to prepare one of my signature dishes, but given that zucchini blossoms are no longer in season, I had to come up with an equally tantalizing idea. And so I decided to garnish my ravioli with a tempura of edible flowers. These colorful blossoms add an ethereal feel to the final presentation, and are sure to impress your guests.
What a perfect Fall first course!
For the butter sage sauce, and ravioli making tips, see my other post "Fresh Ricotta Ravioli with Saffron Sage Butter, Zucchini Blossoms and Orange Zest"
For the tempura, I used flour and a tbsp of potato starch (for a crispier tempura), and ice cold water. The key to a perfect tempura is keeping the batter very cold, so I have my batter in bowl placed inside a bigger bowl that has ice water in it. Basically an ice bath. Prepare the batter right before dipping your flowers, and do not over-mix. Also make sure your frying oil (either vegetable or peanut oil) is very hot. You can test it by dropping a tiny amount of batter in the hot oil, and if it raises back up to the surface and puffs up, then you are ready to fry your blossoms. Do not add a bunch at a time in the oil, but rather, one by one, slowly, without overloading your frying vessel. Also, I like to stir them around gently with a chopstick or the handle part of a wooden spoon.
The recipe for the deconstructed ravioli filling will be in my cookbook.
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