Recipe: The Ultimate Onion with Creamy Chili Sauce (fried onion blossom)

THE ULTIMATE ONION WITH CREAMY CHILI SAUCE

"This is an old recipe and everyone I have given it to through the years LOVES it. It is very good!" - National Onion Association Greeley,

FOR THE BATTER:
3 cups cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
24 ounces beer
FOR THE ONIONS:
4 to 6 large Vidalia Sweet Onions, 4-inches in diameter or larger
Seasoned Flour (recipe follows)
Oil for deep frying
FOR SERVING:
Creamy Chili Sauce (recipes follows)

TO MAKE THE BATTER:
Mix cornstarch, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and seasonings until well blended. Add beer, mix well.

TO PREPARE THE ONIONS:
Cut about 1/4-inch off top of onion; peel onion. Cut onion into 12 to 16 vertical wedges, but do not cut through bottom. Remove about 1-inch of "petals" from center of onion.

Dip onion in Seasoned Flour and remove excess by shaking; dip in batter and remove excess by gently shaking. Separate "petals" to coat thoroughly with batter. Mix beer after standing to blend ingredients.

Heat oil for deep frying.

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

Serve with Creamy Chili Sauce.

SEASONED FLOUR

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

CREAMY CHILI SAUCE

1 pint mayonnaise
1 pint dairy sour cream
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Combine all ingredients together. Keep chilled

Makes 4-6 servings
Adapted from source: Vidalia Sweet Onion Lovers Cookbook by Bland Farms