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1
To make the filling, grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater-shredder or with the large grater blade of a food processor.
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2
Place the zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let stand for 30 minutes.
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3
Wrap the zucchini in a kitchen towel and squeeze dry.
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4
In a bowl, combine the zucchini, cheeses, eggs, herbs, and several grinds of pepper and mix well.
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5
(The filling can be assembled up to 1 day in advance of stuffing the blossoms, covered, and refrigerated.)
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6
If the blossoms are wilted, soak in ice water for 15 minutes to recrisp them.
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7
Remove them from the water and lay them out on kitchen towels to absorb the water.
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8
Reach inside the center of each blossom, pinch off the stamen, and discard it.
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9
Spoon the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip, or into a heavy-duty plastic bag and cut off a bottom corner to create a 1/2-inch opening.
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10
(You can use a small spoon to fill the blossoms, but the process is very messy, making the pastry bag the easier choice.)
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11
Squeeze some of the filling into each blossom.
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12
Pinch the tops closed and set aside.
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13
(You can cover and refrigerate the stuffed blossoms for up to 1 day, but they are crispiest if stuffed and fried within a few hours.)
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14
To make the batter, whisk together the egg, flour, salt, and 1 1/2 cups of the ice water.
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15
Add more ice water as needed to create a consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
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16
(You can make the batter up to 2 hours in advance, cover, and refrigerate it, but it will thicken as it rests, Add a little more water if necessary to correct the consistency.)
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17
To fry the blossoms, preheat the oven to 200F.
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18
Line an ovenproof tray with paper towels.
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19
Pour the oil to a depth of 3 inches into a heavy saucepan and heat to 350F on a deep-frying thermometer.
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20
Holding a blossom by its stem, gently dip it into the batter, lift out, shake off the excess batter, and carefully lower the blossom into the hot oil.
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21
Repeat with more blossoms, adding only a few at a time to avoid crowding the pan.
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22
Fry the blossoms, turning gently if necessary to color evenly, until they are crisp and pale gold on all sides, about 4 minutes.
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23
Using a slotted spoon or wire skimmer, transfer the blossoms to the towel-lined tray to drain and keep warm in the oven.
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24
Repeat until all the blossoms are fried.
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25
Arrange the blossoms on a platter and sprinkle with fleur de sel.
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26
Serve immediately.
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27
Variation: To make a seafood filling for the blossoms, combine 1/2 pound fresh-cooked crabmeat or chopped cooked shrimp; 1/4 cup finely chopped celery or fennel; 1/2 cup each skim-milk or whole-milk ricotta and finely shredded fresh mozzarella cheese; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 3 tablespoons each chopped fresh chives and flat-leaf parsley; finely grated zest of 1 large lemon; 1/2 teaspoon salt: several grinds of black pepper: and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
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28
Mix well, then pipe or spoon (this filling is not as messy to spoon) into the blossoms and fry as directed.
