Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Roasted Rhubarb Compote
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Rhubarb slides through the season quickly, and I was fortunate to find it at Whole Foods. We have a wonderful local goat farm in the area, and I’m happy to say after many hours in the kitchen with three pounds of rhubarb, it pairs splendidly with goat cheese in several different ways.
My original intention was to do a duck confit stuffed with rhubarb goat cheese served with a rhubarb gastrique. I made a wonderful gastrique with rhubarb and various vinegars, a little sugar and a touch of strawberries. It was dark, thick, inspiring in flavor but, I couldn’t find duck legs anywhere.
I looked out of my kitchen window and I saw the squash blossoms were sprinkling gold everywhere. A new idea was born. Rhubarb compote with goat cheese stuffed into squash blossoms, battered, fried crispy and served with roasted rhubarb. I’ve made squash blossoms before and those I purchased, but it’s really fun to do something with the blossoms that show up every day in the garden.
Three of the four ingredients are local. I picked the strawberries at Bradley’s Kountry Acres. The cheese comes from Noble Springs Dairy, a few miles a way, and the squash blossoms and herbs come from my own garden.
At first I made a simple compote using chopped rhubarb and some hand-picked strawberries. I added in sugar as I needed to and boiled it down until it had a very pleasant taste. Rhubarb is tart and needs something sweet, even if its going to be served savory.
The compote was mixed in with the goat cheese, about 1 tablespoon per 1/3 cup of goat cheese. This is good all by itself. I used all male squash blossoms, some from zucchini, some from yellow squash and this recipe for the batter. These were served with a roasted rhubarb. This was one of the best surprises of the three ways I made rhubarb. I had some very ripe strawberries and I marinated the rhubarb with a few smashed strawberries and roasted about 10 minutes until just soft enough to eat, but still in whole form.
The bite of squash blossom with the bite of roasted rhubarb is a perfect starter course for a meal where each course must contain goat cheese and rhubarb.This is one that would easily become a signature dish at the Pink Goat in the springtime.
Please visit my teammates to see their dishes: Victoria @ Mission Food, and Bren @ Flanboyant Eats.
The Pink Goat: Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Roasted Rhubarb
Ingredients
- 6 male squash blossoms with at least a one inch stem
- 6 teaspoons goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon rhubarb compote
- 1 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs chives, thyme, basil, parsely, etc.
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- Gently rinse off squash blossoms, checking for bugs inside.
- Remove inside stem.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Mix goat cheese, herbs and rhubarb compote together.
- Gently stuff flowers with 1 teaspoon of goat cheese. Some flowers are larger and can use more. You want to have enough room at top of flower to close flower completely.
- Mix water and flour into a batter. Dip flower into batter.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan with 1 inch of oil until oil is at 375 degrees.
- I use a kernel of corn. When it pops, my oil is ready.
- Fry a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with roasted rhubarb.
Notes
2 large stalks rhubarb
2 cups strawberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar (more if needed)
Bring everything to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes or until rhubarb is softened. If there is too much liquid in pan, remove fruit and continue to simmer liquid until reduced. Mix back in with fruit. Cool completely before mixing with goat cheese.
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How ingenious! This marriage of rhubarb and goats cheese is sublime and to combine it with squash blossoms…MMMMMMM!
Lovely! I love that you can look out your cocina window and be inspired! That’s envious. And, I great minds think alike, I see! I added goat cheese to my rhubarb sauce, too! I’m curious to know how your 1st option would have turned out as well.
What a delightful combination of flavors Angela…just beautiful! I have never tried roasted rhubarb, but it is now going on my “must try” list!
as a fan of goat cheese and rhubarb, i’ve been excited to see each of your restaurant’s dishes 🙂 i’d be all over this appetizer!!!
Never ever cooked with squash blossoms and this might be even more surprising that I never ever even ate this! But Now I know I can because I have your recipe. Thanks Angela! BTW from where can I buy these beautiful blossoms?
this sounds wonderful + i love how all the ingredients are so local! i adore goat-cheese squash blossoms but i never even thought about making them at home. now that i know i can, i’ll have to try them. what a wonderful dish with such creative flavors!
You did a spectacular job of capturing how fabulous your squash blossoms looked. What a wonderful, creative dish.
I’ve tried cooking with the squash blossoms before, but was thwarted by the tiny little bugs. I never got to pulling that inner stem out either, so that’s nice info to know next time I try! SMILES. I am always so excited to see your posts! Simply amazing! Thanks for sharing
Just a brilliant creation. I cooked squash blossoms for the first time last summer ans saw something similar in concept than your creation but this is way better. Such wonderful way to incorporate the rhubarb too. I’ll order 3 portions…just for me.
Roasted Rhubarb? You rascal! GREG
What a gorgeous dish! It’s so elegant too, especially the way you’ve plated it. Sounds delicious and I love how you used local ingredients!
I’ve just had savoury ones but these sound spectacular!
Love love love this! Our team rocks!! Really great and innovative use of the ingredients. Even though you couldn’t find duck, I think you managed an even better dish with the squash blossoms 🙂
What a gorgeous combo! I have to try these 😀
Oh Angela! This is lovely. So original. Great dish for your team’s menu.
Like Norma said… and YAY for fresh flowers 🙂
LL
Lori Lynn
I never realized this, but I can fit into two restaurants.
Oh the blossoms are so pretty! I like that you mix the goat cheese in the rhubarb compote and the roasted rhubarb sounds awesome with this!
I must admit to be a rhubarb virgin but after the way you described and presented it, I’m more inclined to try it. It’s so nice that you have those beautiful squash blossoms growing outside your window. I’m envious.
Angela this belongs at my restaurat…LOL…
They are absolutely lovely and I bet delicious.