Description:

From Top Secret Restaurant Recipes

Source:

Debbie Greening

Serves/Makes:2 or more as an appetizer

Ingredients

• Dipping Sauce:
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) mayonnaise
• 2 tsp (10 ml) ketchup
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) cream-style horseradish
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) paprika
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
• 1/8 tsp (1 ml) dried oregano
• Dash ground black pepper
• Dash cayenne pepper
• The Onion:
• 1 egg
• 1 cup (225 ml) milk
• 1 cup (225 ml) all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp (7 ml) salt
• 1-1/2 tsp (7 ml) cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp (5 ml) paprika
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp (1 ml) dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp (1 ml) cumin
• 1 jumbo sweet yellow or white onion (3/4 lb (.3 kg) or more)
• vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

• Prepare the dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl.
• Keep the sauce covered in your refrigerator until needed.
• Beat the egg and combine it with the milk in a medium bowl big enough to
• hold the onion.
• Now it's time to slice the onion -- this is the trickiest step.
• First, slice 3/4 inch to 1 inch off the top and bottom of the onion.
• 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 down the center to create the "petals" of the completed onion.
• First slice through the center of the onion to about three-fourths of the way down.
• Turn the onion 90 degrees (30 C.) and slice it again in an "x" across the first slice.
• Keep slicing the sections in half, very carefully, until you've cut the onion 16 times.
• Do not cut down to the bottom.
• The last 8 slices are a little hairy, just use a steady hand and don't worry if your onion doesn't look like a perfect flower.
• It'll still taste good.
• Spread the "petals" of the onion apart.
• The onion sections tend to stick together, so you'll want to separate them to make coating easier.
• To help separate the "petals," plunge the onion into boiling water for 1 minute, and then into cold water.
• Dip the onion in the milk mixture, and then coat it liberally with the dry ingredients.
• 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 makes sure you have a well-coated onion because some of the coating tends to wash off when you fry.
• Let the onion rest in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes while you get the oil ready.
• Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to 350 degrees (175 C.).
• Make sure you use enough oil to completely cover the onion as 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.
• You may also use plain ketchup.

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