What comes to mind when you think of the restaurant Outback Steakhouse? For many people I dare say it’s a big ole juicy steak. Not me, I think of two things when I think of Outback. One is their crispy and oh so tasty appetizer, the Bloomin’ Onion, and the other is the heavenly decadent dessert, Chocolate Thunder From Down Under. Sure, they are possibly a heart attack on a plate, but I can’t think of a better way to go.
This copycat recipe tastes just like a Bloomin’ Onion. It isn’t difficult to make at all, but I cut the onion too far down so it fell apart when I fried it resulting in petals instead of a nice bloom. Thankfully my lack of presentation skills didn’t effect the taste. My boys devoured it and asked for more. I have also used this batter for onion rings with very good results.
Buon Appetito!
Blooming Onion Petals with Dipping Sauce
source:http://allrecipes.com/recipe/blooming-onion-and-dipping-sauce/
Ingredients
- Blooming Onion Petals:
- egg - 1
- milk - 1 cup
- all-purpose flour - 1 cup
- salt - 1 1/2 tsp
- cayenne pepper - 1 1/2 tsp
- ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp
- dried oregano - 1/3 tsp
- dried thyme - 1/8 tsp
- ground cumin - 1/8 tsp
- sweet onion - 1 large
- vegetable oil - 3/4 cup or enough to cover onion
- Dipping Sauce:
- mayo - 1/2 cup
- ketchup - 1 Tbsp
- cream-style horseradish sauce - 2 Tbsp
- paprika - 1/3 tsp
- salt - 1/4 tsp
- dried oregano - 1/8 tsp
- ground black pepper - pinch
- cayenne pepper - 1/3 tsp
Instructions
- To make sauce: In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, 1/3 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon oregano, a dash ground black pepper and cayenne pepper; mix well. Keep sauce covered in refrigerator until needed.
- To make the batter: In a medium bowl, beat egg and add milk. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, ground black pepper, oregano, thyme and cumin; mix.
- To slice onion: slice 1 inch off of the top and bottom of the onion and remove the papery skin. Use a thin knife to cut a 1 inch diameter core out of the middle of the onion. Now use a very sharp, large knife to slice the onion several times about three-fourths of the way down the center to create 'petals': Keep turning and cutting until you have about 16 cuts. Do not cut down to the bottom of the onion.
- Spread the 'petals' of the onion apart. To help keep them separate you could plunge the onion into boiling water for 1 minute and then into cold water.
- Dip the onion into the milk mixture and then coat it liberally with the flour mixture. Again separate the petals and sprinkle the dry coating between them. Once you're sure the onion is well-coated, dip it back into the wet mixture and into the dry coating again. This double-dipping ensures you have a well-coated onion because some of the coating will wash off when you fry the onion.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Make sure you use enough oil to completely cover the onion when it fries.
- Fry the onion right side up in the oil for 10 minutes or until it turns brown. When the onion has browned, remove it from the oil and let it drain on a rack or paper towels. Open the onion wider from the center so that you can put a small dish of the dipping sauce in the center.
