Recipe: Onion Ring Loaf, Restaurant Style Onion Rings, and The Outback Bloomin' Onion with Creamy Chili Dipping Sauce for Kathy, Arkansas

Hi Kathy:-) I'm wondering if any of the following recipes that were posted by Judy, AZ are what you are looking for? (Betsy posted the Bloomin' Onion on this weeks menu in the appetizer category.) I was happy to see it listed since I just couldn't remember what name they had been posted under so wasn't sure I could find it.

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ONION RING LOAF
Servings: 4

4 to 6 mild white onions
1 cup milk
3 eggs, beaten
salt
2 cups pancake mix (like Bisquick)
Oil for deep frying

Slice onions crosswise and separate into rings. Soak rings in mixture of milk, eggs and salt to taste in bowl 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Dip each onion ring in pancake mix and fry in oil heated to 375 degrees F until golden brown. Pack fried onions solidly, but loosely, without pressing, into an 8x4-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Turn onto serving plate.

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RESTAURANT-STYLE ONION "RINGS"
Source: Bon Appetit, November 1995
Servings: 4

At restaurants, onions can be sliced into very thin rings on a meat slicer. By cutting the onions in half first, home cooks can get close to the same thinness with a knife, even though it means sacrificing the ring shape.

2 large onions, halved, thinly sliced
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Vegetable oil (for frying)

Separate onions into strips. Mix with buttermilk in large bowl. Cover with plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

WHEN READY TO COOK:
Stir flour, salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper in another large bowl.

Drain onions. Add to flour mixture and toss to coat.

Pour oil into heavy saucepan to depth of 3 inches. Heat oil to 350 degrees F.

Working in small batches, shake excess flour off onions and cook in hot oil until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer onions to paper towels and drain.

Transfer onions to platter. Season with salt and serve immediately.

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THE OUTBACK BLOOMIN' ONION
Source: Outback Steak House, Miami, FL.

4 sweet Vidalia onions
FOR THE SEASONED FLOUR:
2 cups flour
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
FOR THE BATTER:
1/3 cup cornstarch; more if needed
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp garlic; mince
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
24 oz beer
FOR THE CREAMY CHILI DIPPING SAUCE:
1 pint mayonnaise
1 pint sour cream
1/2 cup tomato chili sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne

TO PREPARE THE ONION:
Cut about 3/4-inch off top of onion and peel. Cut into onion 12 to 16 vertical wedges but do not cut through bottom root end. Remove about 1-inch of petals from center of onion. Set aside.

TO PREPARE SEASONED FLOUR:
Combine flour, paprika, garlic powder, pepper and cayenne and mix well. Set aside.

TO PREPARE THE BATTER:
Mix cornstarch, flour and seasonings until well blended. Add beer, mix well. Set aside.

TO PREPARE THE CREAMY CHILI DIPPING SAUCE:
Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, chili sauce, and cayenne and mix well. Set aside.

TO COOK THE ONION:
Dip onion in seasoned flour and remove excess by shaking. Separate petals to coat thoroughly with batter.

Gently place in fryer basket and deep-fry at 375 to 400 degrees F 1 1/2 minutes. Turn over and fry 1 1/2 minutes longer or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Place onion upright in shallow bowl and remove center core with circular cutter or apple corer. Serve hot with Creamy Chili Sauce.