Just last week I got a call from a busy Hedge Fund manager, father of two, who was eager to do something special for his wife’s birthday. Since the kids are little, they don’t get the chance to go out for dinner much and so he wanted to offer a gourmet meal, without leaving the house.

I planned a menu, and suggested we did a cooking lesson for the two of them, so they could learn a few tricks and make good use of their fabulous kitchen, before enjoying dinner.

And since they were literally using their new pots for the first time, we decided to play with an extended menu, that was enjoyed throughout the weekend.

In the menu we had:

• Tuna tartare in home made wonton chips
• Asparagus soup
• Cauliflower puree
• Salad with grilled peaches and glazed nuts
• chicken and apricot tagine
• Lobster Mac and cheese

Four hours in the kitchen, pots and pans dancing over all six burners, even their two year old got his hands dirty.

A perfect afternoon of food, family and celebration!! And they promised me they would keep up the good work and put a stop to ready made food.

Mission accomplished!!

So happy to see the squash blossoms at the Farmer’s market last week! Had to get some…

Squash blossoms are a treat generally unavailable to all but home gardeners and habitués of farmers markets. They’re so extraordinarily perishable that few supermarkets bother trying to keep them in stock.

Both the male and female blossoms of winter and summer squash varieties can be used interchangeably. The male blossoms appear at the end of thin stems and can be harvested without curtailing production of squash. . The female blossoms form at the end of the buds that grow into squash and are often harvested with the tiny, nascent squash still attached.

Since they don’t last much and I didn’t have time to plan,  I decided to go with a simple recipe.

Squash blossoms have an amazing earthy taste and can be eaten raw, poached and my favorite… flash fried. I stuffed each one with a piece of mozzarella, twisted the tops before giving them a gentle dip in egg whites and then coating them in Panko crumbs. Fried them in hot vegetable oil for only a couple minutes until they turned nice and golden brown.

The mozzarella can be substituted for goat cheese, ricotta, shrimp mousse or whatever your creativity takes you to! Great for an appetizer, on top of salads or over a squash soup!

Bon appetite!