Stuffed courgette flowers

Ingredients

• 12–16 courgette flowers (marrow or pumpkin flowers also work well)

For the filling

• 250g cottage cheese
• 50g hard cheese, grated
• 100g soured cream or less
• 1 garlic clove
• salt

For the batter

• 150g plain flour
• 1 egg
• 200ml chilled sparkling mineral water
• salt
• oil, for frying

To serve

• grated hard cheese
• basil or parsley leaves, to taste

Method

1. Make the filling. Combine the cottage cheese with chopped herbs, the crushed garlic clove, a little soured cream (just enough for the mixture to hold together), the grated hard cheese and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
2. Carefully open the flowers one at a time and remove the stamens. This can be done with a small knife, taking care not to damage the petals.
3. Fill the flowers with the cottage cheese mixture. The easiest way is to place the filling in a piping bag or a small bag with one corner cut off and gently squeeze it into the flowers while holding each flower in the other hand. Fill them so the petals can be closed and lightly twisted together at the tips to seal. Fill all the flowers in this way.  Make the batter. Whisk the flour, salt, egg and sparkling mineral water together to form a fairly thick batter suitable for coating. It should not run off the flowers. The consistency should resemble that of small pancake batter. Pour the batter into a shallow bowl or soup plate so the flowers can easily be dipped into it.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Dip the stuffed flowers in the batter and fry, turning occasionally, until the batter is golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
5. If you like, grate a little more hard cheese over the top and sprinkle with your favourite herbs. Basil works particularly well. Serve and eat immediately. As the flowers cool, the wonderfully crisp coating softens and the charm of the dish fades. If you have managed to get hold of the flowers and gone through the careful preparation, you deserve to enjoy them at their very best.