Chili's Awesome Blossom (sort of...)

While the hubby and I were discussing our menu for the week, we were trying to think of a good side dish to go with the hamburgers we planned on having tonight. Normally we have baked beans (which reminds me I really need to post that recipe cause my hubby makes a mean dish of baked beans...mmmm *licking lips*) but instead we decided to go with a recipe we had tried a while back and hadn't made in a really long time- Chili's Awesome Blossom. Now granted we don't actually make the blossom so much as we just make onion rings with the batter and dipping sauce, but they are delicious just the same.

Here's what you need:

2 yellow onions
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp McCormick Seasoned Salt (Season-All)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup buttermilk (If you don't have buttermilk on hand- cause I know we normally don't, just mix 1 cup regular milk with 1 Tbsp lemon juice and let sit for 5 min)
Canola oil for frying

Slice onions into rings and let them soak in cold water for at least 5 minutes. I let them soak while I made the batter. Combine dry ingredients in one large bowl and have buttermilk in a seperate bowl.

Dip onion rings a few at a time into flour mixture, then buttermilk, and then back into flour mixture. Place ring in hot canola oil and fry til golden brown. Don't try and fry too many rings at once or your oil will drop drastically in temperature and you won't get a good crispy onion ring.

To make the dipping sauce, mix all these ingredients and serve in a small dipping bowl:

1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp McCormick Seasoned Salt
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp paprika

If you really want to try making the blossom, here's how. We haven't ever tried it, but be sure to let me know how it turns out:

Onion may be sliced like a blossom by cutting the top 1/4 off, the top has the stem. Then peel and be very careful to leave the root intact. Carefully slice from the top of the onion down but stop about 1/2" before you get to the root, taking care not to cut through the root. Slice the rest of the onion like a pie into many servings.

When complete soak onion in cold ice water for 1/2 hour so the onion's petals will start to open up and bloom. Drain onion and dip in flour mixture and dust well. Dip onion then in buttermilk and back in flour mixture. Place in hot oil and fry until golden. Oil should cover onion.

When done drain well and place on plate and cut center out of onion so the petals may easily be removed.


Hope you enjoy your delicious onions!