Lemon & Ricotta-Filled Zucchini Flowers - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
12 None zucchini flowers with zucchini attached
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups chilled club soda
None None Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 medium lemon, cut into wedges

Preparation

Combine ricotta, Parmesan, lemon peel and juice, mint and pine nuts in a medium bowl.
Carefully open zucchini flowers, taking care not to tear the petals; remove and discard the yellow stamen inside. Fill with ricotta mixture, twisting the tips of the petals to enclose filling.
For the tempura batter, reserve 1 tbsp flour. Sift remaining flour with rice flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in egg and club soda until just combined. The batter will still have lumps. Add reserved flour only if the batter seems too thin.
Fill a large saucepan or deep fryer one-third full with vegetable oil; heat to 350\u00b0F (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 10 seconds). In batches, dip flowers in the batter, allowing excess batter to drain off. Deep-fry flowers, in batches, until lightly browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Season with salt.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges.