Melissa Kelly's Tempura Fiddleheads

• 1 cup chickpea flour 
• salt 
• cayenne pepper 
• freshly ground black pepper 
• ½ cup soda water
• 3 lbs fresh fiddleheads 
• canola or olive oil for frying

Season the flour with salt, cayenne, and black pepper to taste. Add the soda water and stir to make a batter. Dip the fiddleheads in the batter, lifting them out with a slotted spoon. Fry in oil heated to 350°F for 3 to 4 minutes until golden and crispy. Season with salt and serve with Aioli (recipe follows).

Serves 15.

Aioli:

• 3 cloves garlic 
• pinch of salt 
• pinch of saffron (optional) 
• 2 large egg yolks 
• 1 ½ cups light olive oil 
• lemon juice

Crush the garlic with the salt and saffron using a mortar and pestle. In a medium bowl, put the garlic paste and whisk in the egg yolks and olive oil until incorporated. Add lemon juice and salt to taste. For a spruced-up aioli, use roasted garlic instead or add basil purée.

Makes 2 cups.

From Cooking Down East by Marjorie Standish