Cooking: with Chef Johnny Vee and Chef Louis Moskow

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Comment by eTaste on August 27, 2008 at 2:13pm

This week on Cooking with Johnny Vee, The New Mexican's new online cooking show, you'll find a sophisticated and delicious way to nip those garden zucchini in the bud — by removing and cooking the blossoms before they have the chance to bear fruit.

Louis Moskow — chef/owner of 315 Restaurant & Wine Bar and Railyard Bar & Grille — is John's guest this week, and he shows us how to prepare his Squash Blossom Beignets with Goat-Cheese Fondue, one of the most popular dishes on 315's summertime menu.

There are three basic parts to the recipe: the goat-cheese fondue, a thick, creamy, seasoned sauce; a basic marinara-style tomato sauce; and a light batter for dipping the blossoms before they are fried. Once all three parts are in place, the dish comes together quickly and easily.

To see Moskow make the beignets (or fritters) and hear his tips for success, log onto www.santafenewmexican.com/food/ or www.etastesantafe.com.


CHEF LOUIS MOSKOW'S SQUASH BLOSSOM BEIGNETS
WITH GOAT-CHEESE FONDUE
(About 8 servings)

40 squash blossoms*
1 cup flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons soda water
1 egg
2 quarts neutral-flavored vegetable oil
1 pinch salt
For the goat-cheese fondue:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
2 cups heavy whipping cream
11 ounces goat cheese (Montrachet is a good choice)
1 tablespoon chopped herbs
Pinch ground cumin (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
For the tomato sauce:
2 ounces olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 red onion, diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 ounces white wine
1 (16-ounce) can plum tomatoes (or chopped fresh tomatoes)
5 basil leaves
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste


To make the goat-cheese fondue, cook the shallot until translucent in the butter in a small pot over medium flame. Add cream, cheese, herbs, cumin, salt and pepper. Do not boil.

To make the tomato sauce, cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add tomato paste and cook two minutes over medium flame. Add wine and cook for five minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer 45 minutes and purée.

To make the beignet batter, mix together the flour, soda water and egg. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Dip blossoms in the batter and fry until golden brown.

To assemble the dish, put 2 ounces of goat-cheese fondue in the center of each plate. Put
4 to 6 squash blossoms, depending on their size, on top of the goat-cheese fondue and top each with some tomato sauce.

*If you don't have a garden of your own to raid, you usually can find fresh squash blossoms at the Santa Fe Farmers Market, particularly if you arrive early in the morning.