Fried Dandelions You Say? Dandy!

So, I have been playing around with my camera, taking mini-macro shots and loving the results. I started taking some shots of dandelions that I thought were unusual. Then, I just so happened to stumble onto a recipe for fried dandelions. I thought, "Odd, but gotta try it!" So, here is the recipe, with pictures of the lovely flowers I took today.

Fried Dandelions
 
The trick here is to remove as much green material from the dandelion flower head as possible, while keeping the flower head intact. The green parts lend bitterness, so you want to minimize that, while the yellow flowers are mild-tasting and faintly sweet.

• 1 Cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 Cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

options: (other favorite seasonings like garlic powder, onion salt, or seasoning salt-go light on the seasonings until you're sure you like the flavors with the blooms)

Instructions:
Beat the egg and add the milk. Whisk in the flour and seasonings. You can dip the flowers and fry immediately, but the batter stays on better if it's refrigerated for a half hour or so.

When the batter is lightly browned, lift the flowers out of the oil and drain them on paper towels. Fried Dandelion Flowers are good served as appetizers or as a side dish with ham.

My kids thought I was coocoo. Connor said, "At first they tasted good... then bad." I suspect it is the slight bitterness at the end. That comes from the greens which you cannot entirely get rid of. I don't mind the flavor, so maybe not a kid favorite unless they like that sort of thing. I had my husband try one and he said they tasted like a fried mushroom, which he doesn't care for, but said it was okay. So, I guess I am weird, but I'm glad I tried something different. Be adventurous today! Try fried dandelions!