THE OUTRAGEOUS BLOOMIN' ONION
Source of Recipe
Aunt Saunny
The Outback Steakhouse chain made this gargantuan novelty appetizer famous nationwide, let alone all the restaurants built, with its Bloomin' Onion.
Chefs prepare the item on a vertical cutting tool, the onion blossom machine, specifically designed for the task. But you can do it at home using a sharp chef's knife, taking care not to cut all the way through the onion. You can also find a plastic onion holder made especially for preparing the onion at fine kitchen utensil stores and, of course, on eBay.
Ingredients and procedure:
One very large (preferably sweet - I like to use Vadalia or Maya Sweets) onion, top sliced off and peeled, leaving root intact. Cut down through onion in half-inch crossing pattern. Place in ice-water bath for 24 hours or overnight. Drain.
Dredge with onion flour (recipe follows).
Coat with egg wash made with four eggs and two cups flour (or scale down).
Dredge thoroughly again in onion flour. Place in a deep fryer, bottom side up, for 4 minutes or until golden brown; turn over and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Drain upside down for one minute.
Cool slightly.
Remove onion core with corer or sharp paring knife.
Garnish (if you wish) and serve with BBQ sauce or Dipping Sauce (below).
Onion Flour
(scaled down and simplified from the restaurant's version for 20 pounds)
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons Lawry's seasoned salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper (white preferred)
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Sprinkle of dried basil
Horseradish Dip
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/2 small garlic clove, finely minced
Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, horseradish and
garlic in a bowl and mix well. May be prepared up to 2 days in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
|
|
member logon
