Oil-Cured Fromage Blanc-Stuffed Nasturtium Leaves #SundayFunday

 

Today the Sunday Funday group is sharing creative lasagna recipes. Thanks to Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for coordinating this low-stress group. 

And, for this event, Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures is hosting. We are celebrating mothers! Here's the line-up of our Mothers' Day dishes from the #SundayFunday bloggers...

• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Brownie Bottomed Raspberry Cheesecake
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Molettes de Jamon y Frijole
• Food Lust People Love: Fresh Peach Cream Pie
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Oil-Cured Fromage Blanc-Stuffed Nasturtium Leaves
• Sneha’s Recipe: Churros French Toast
• Making Miracles: Apple Cinnamon Rolls
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Thepla - Gujarati Flatbread
• Cook with Renu: Avocado Stuffed Celery Sticks (Oil-Free)

Oil-Cured Fromage Blanc-Stuffed Nasturtium Leaves

A couple of Springs ago, my friend and culinary maven Jenn Erickson of  posted photos of her nasturtium experiment to social media. Her caption - and photos - have been haunting me ever since: "The blanched leaves were filled with #chevre and cured in olive oil with lemon zest and black peppercorns overnight. We enjoyed them for brunch on garlic toast points. Absolutely blissful!! #foraging #edibleflowers #breakfast #brunch #appetizer" Her recipe appears on her blog - Goat Cheese Cigarillos with Olive-Oil Cured Nasturium Leaves. Jenn and I have been friends since college and she is always simultaneously inspiring and intimidating!

So, whenever I get my hands on nasturium leaves, I make these. They are the perfect tantalizing bite for the start of any celebratory brunch. They will be amazing for any Mothers' Day table.

Ingredients serves 4

• 6 to 8 nasturtium leaves
• 2 Tablespoons nasturtium petals
• 1/3 cups fromage blanc (feel free to substitute cream cheese or any other spreadable cheese you like)
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• lemon zest or curls
• olive oil, as needed
• water
• Also needed: toasted bread for serving

Procedure

Destem your nasturium leaves. Fill a saucepan with water and heat until it is beginning to steam. Quickly plunge one leaf at a time into the water. I use tongs to hold the leaf, release it so it float flat on top, then I grab it again with the tongs and place it flat on a plate. Repeat until all of the leaves are blanched.

Place the fromage blanc, petals, and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl. Add a few grinds of salt and pepper. Then use a spoon to combine the ingredients.

Place a leaf on your workspace or cutting board. Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons filling to the leaf. And roll into a tight cylinder.

Place the rolled leaves into a container and pour enough olive oil over them to be mostly submerged. Add your lemon zest or curls. Cover and refrigerate. Leave the rolls to cure overnight.

Before serving remove them from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. 

Slice the rolls in half and serve them on toasted bread. I used some homemade sourdough rye. Garnish with lemon curls and reserve the oil for another use.

That's a wrap on our Mothers' Day #SundayFunday event. We will be back next week with shortcake recipes. Stay tuned!