Fried squash blossoms

At the farmer's market yesterday, I happened upon a bin of fresh squash blossoms and snapped up a pound of them. "What the hell do you do with squash blossoms?" you ask. You stuff them with cheese and fry them. (I know, I know, you could stuff anything with cheese and fry it and it would taste good, but fried squash blossoms are particularly yummy, and one of those things you can only get this time of year.) If you grow your own squash, you probably have a ready supply of these already.

The stuffing is just ricotta cheese with a little chopped fresh basil, although I also mixed in a little goat cheese. Remove the stamen from the inside of the blossom (that will make it bitter), and stuff with a teaspoon or two of cheese. Twirl the petals around to seal it in (don't worry if the flower tears down the side while stuffing). Coat that with an egg mixture, then roll in a mixture of half cornmeal and half flour, and fry. I used my deep fryer, set on 350 degrees; but vegetable oil in a skillet would work just as well. Sprinkle with salt and eat hot.