Recipe: Bloomin Onion

http://www.kitchenlink.com
Here are all the recipes for this that I've cut from various sources. I've never prepared one of them. Good luck!
* Exported from MasterCook *
A BLOOMIN' ONION
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers Vegetables
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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Water -- ice
Water -- boiling
4 Eggs -- beaten
2 tablespoons Flour
1 cup Cracker crumbs
Select a well-rounded onion. Peel outer skin off. Leave root intact and cut off any hanging roots. Using a small, sharp knife, divide onion into four sections by making 2 cuts crosswise, beginning at the top and cutting toward root, stopping about 1/2" away. Cut each section twice. Place onion in bowl of enough boiling water to cover it and leave for 5 minutes. The sections, or petals, will begin to open. Remove onion from water and immerse into ice water, which will further the opening. Drain well by turning upside down on paper towel. Put flour into paper bag, add onion and shake gently to coat with flour. Roll floured onion in beaten egg to cover.
Put cracker crumbs or coating in bag, add onion, and shake gently to coat.
Refrigerate 1 hour before deep frying in oil to golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Cooked onion can be kept for a time in warm oven. This recipe was posted some weeks ago. It did not include a sauce. If I remember correctly, the poster said to serve with Ranch Dressing for a sauce. I would just let my imagination go, on the sauce! I haven't tried this yet, even though it is tempting...I have to watch out for my husband's diet, so we try to stay away from fried things. Sorry, I don't know the name of the original poster, but that is his/her ID, after the recipe title. Barb Day
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* Exported from MasterCook *
Bloomin' or Ultimate Onion & others
Recipe By : Rebecca Snyder 74047,2727 & kitchenlink.com
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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***** NONE *****
Deep fried onions that look like chrysanthemums still spark the curiosity of dinners. A North Liberty resident asks for a copy of the recipe printed a year ago. Here it is. Read it through carefully before you begin in order to understand the cutting and coating procedure. Because this recipe was created for a promotion of a specific kind of onion, it includes that name. Of course another kind of sweet onion may be used.
National Onion Association assures me that the 3 cups of cornstarch and 1-1/2 cups of flour in the batter are correct.

ULTIMATE ONION
oil for deep frying
SEASONED FLOUR:
2 cups flour
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
BATTER:
3 cups cornstarch
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
24 ounces beer
4 to 6 Colossal Trophy 1015 onions (4-inch diameter or bigger)
CREAMY CHILI SAUCE:
1 pint mayonnaise
1 pint dairy sour cream
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
SEASONED FLOUR: Combine ingredients for seasoned flour and mix well; set aside.
BATTER: In small bowl mix cornstarch, flour, and seasonings until well blended. Add beer; mix well.
PROCEDURE: Cut about 3/4 inch off the top of the onion; peel onion. Make cuts down from the top (cut end) toward the bottom making 12 to 16 vertical wedges. Do NOT cut through bottom (root end). Onion should look like petals of a chrysanthemum. Remove about 1 inch of petals from the center of the onion.
Mix batter after standing to blend ingredients. Dip cut onion in seasoned flour and remove excess by shaking; dip in batter and remove excess by gently shaking. Gently spread the petals to
mix thoroughly with batter. (Be careful not to pull them from the base.)
Gently place prepared onion in fryer basket and deep fry at 375 to 400 degrees for 1-1/2 minutes. Turn over and fry 1 to 1-1/2 minutes longer or until golden brown.
Drain onion on paper towels. Place onion upright in shallow bowl remove center core circular cutter or apple corer. Serve hot with Creamy Chili Sauce.
CREAMY CHILI SAUCE: Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, chili sauce and pepper; mix well.
NOTE: The sauce is divided into individual servings, placed in small containers that are then placed in the cored out center of the onion. If you don't have such small containers, I believe the coring step could be omitted and the sauce served on the side.
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It's a good idea to practice the onion cutting to get the right look. You can always dice the onions and save them for something else, if it doesn't look right!
Bloomin' Onion
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Vegetables Appetizers
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 Sweet onion
1 Eggs
1 tablespoon Milk
2 tablespoons Flour
1 cup Cracker crumbs -- crushed
Select a well-rounded onion. Peel outer skin but leave root intact,
cutting off any hanging roots. With ordinary paring knife, core
out top third of center. Angle knife for best results. Divide
onion into four sections, by making 2 cuts crosswise, beginning
at the top and cutting toward the root, stopping about 1/2-inch
away. Cut each section twice again. Place onion in bowl of enough
boiling water to cover it and leave for 5 minutes. The sections,
or "petals," will begin to open.
Remove onion from hot water and immerse in ice water, which will
further the opening. Drain well by turning upside down on a
paper towel.
Put flour into paper bag (season with any seasonings you'd like--Cajun,
cayenne, plain ol' s&p, etc), add onion and shake gently to coat
with flour. Beat egg and milk; roll floured onion in egg.
Put cracker crumbs in paper bag, add onion, and shake gently to
coat.
Refrigerate 1 hour before deep frying to set the coating.
Heat oil to 375-380 degrees. If oil isn't hot enough, it will
be greasy and the batter may not stick. If oil is too hot, outside
will burn before inside is cooked. Place onion petal-side DOWN
in HOT oil or use a wire basket. Cook until golden brown, 3-5
minutes.
Cooked onion can be kept for a time in a warm oven. Serve with
sauce made of Russian dressing and horseradish.
From "Outback Cafe" Posted on GEnie by L.MAGEE [LINDA] MM by
Sylvia Steiger, GEnie THE.STEIGERS, CI$ 71511,2253, GT Cookbook
echo moderator at net/node 004/005
Here's this post from the past:
Dear Angela,
I don't know if any of these are the Outback recipes, but maybe one of them comes close.
Happy Frying,
Betsy
-------------ONION BLOSSOM--------------
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 tb all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 c saltine cracker crumbs
vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
commercial dark honey-mustard or
Ranch-style salad dressing

Peel onion, leaving root end intact. Cut onion vertically into
quarters, cutting to within 1/2 inch of root end. Cut each quarter
into thirds. (If you mess up on the cutting technique, you can chop
that onion for another use and start again with a new one)
Place onion in boiling water 1 minute; remove and place in ice water
5 minutes. Loosen "petals" if necessary. Drain onion, cut side down.
Place flour in a zip-top plastic bag; add onion, shaking to coat. Dip
onion in egg.
Place cracker crumbs in plastic bag; add onion, tossing to coat.
Chill 1 hour.
Pour oil to depth of 3 inches into an electric fryer or heavy
saucepan, and heat to 375 degrees.
Fry onion 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown; drain on paper towels.
Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Serve onion with dark honey-mustard or
Ranch-style salad dressing.

BLOOMING ONIONS
Recipe By : TOM VIA MARGIE VIA SILVER DOLLAR CITY IN BRANSON, MO.
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:25
Categories : American Appetizers
Deep Fried Vegetables
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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6 small onions
1 cup pancake mix, complete -- prepared as directed
1 quart vegetable oil
Cut one end of the onion into a tulip shape; dip in prepared pancake mix;
let excess drip off.
DEEP FRY TILL GOLDEN BROWN.
UPDATED DIRECTIONS: Select a well-rounded onion. Peel outer shin off.
Leave root intact; cut off any hanging roots. Using small, sharp knife,
divide onion into four sections by making 2 cuts crosswise, begining at
the top and cutting toward root, stopping about 1/2 inch away. Cut each
section twice. Place onion in bowl of enough boiling water to cover it
and leave for 5 minutes. The sections, or "petals" will begin to open.
Remove onion from hot water and immerse into ice water, to help opening.
drain well by turning upside down on paper towel. Put 2 tbl flour into
paper bag, add onion and shake gently to coat with flour. Roll floured
onion in beaten egg. Place cracker crumbs or coating mix in paper bag,
add onion and shake gently to coat. Refrigerate for one hour - then deep
fry for 3 to 5 minutes. May keep in a warm oven.
FOR A SPECIAL DIP: Combine 1/2 c Mayonnaise, 1/2 c Sour Cream, 1/2 c
Thousand Island Dressing and two tbl. Horseradish.
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NOTES : AN UPDATED RECIPE SAYS TO USE VIDALIA, SWEET, TEXAS, OR WALLA
WALLA ONIONS.
Thomas & Calvin in Maryland
Onion Flowers sometimes called "Awesome Blossoms"
Servings: 5
Ingredients:
5 med onions
4 cups flour
5 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Greek seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
oil for deep frying
Cut off and discard the top half inch of the onions. Peel them but do not cut off the root end. Place each onion, root end up, on a cutting board. With a sharp, pointed knife, make vertical cuts all around the
onion about a quarter inch apart
Start the cut a quarter inch from the root for small onions or a half inch from the root for very large ones. Make sure the knife goes into the center of the onion.
Place all the onions in a large bowl of cold water, add ice cubes, cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. The onions will open up like mums. Drain upside-down when ready to proceed.
In a large bowl, mix together thoroughly the flour, baking powder and spices. In another
bowl, beat together the eggs and milk.
Dip the onions one by one into the egg mixture, opening the petals with your fingers; let the excess drip off, and place in flour. Work the flour mixture into the center gently with fingertips. Shake off excess
flour and repeat egg dip and flouring, shaking off the excess thoroughly.
Half fill a deep fryer or large, deep, heavy pot with oil.
Heat the oil to 360F or until a small piece of dry bread turns deep gold in 15 seconds. Fry the onions without crowding them (one at a time for large ones) keeping them submerged with a spatula or by placing the frying basket on top of them. Plunge them in root end up and turn them
over once.
To serve at once, fry large onions for about six or seven minutes, small ones for five minutes, or until deep gold. Drain upside down on paper towels; then invert on a serving plate. Keep warm in a low oven while
frying the others. Remove the centers of large onions with a very sharp knife.
Small onions may be left whole or the center can be scooped out with a melon-ball cutter. If serving the next day, fry the onions until pale gold; do not fry completely. Let cool. When ready to serve,
reheat the oil to 380F and fry the onions just long enough to heat and brown, about 15 seconds. Drain and serve.
To get the same taste without making mums, simply cut onions vertically to make "petals" or crosswise and separate into rings. This can be done ahead and the petals or rings kept in ice water. Egg, flour and fry as above.

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