COOK'S CORNER : ONION A BLOOMIN' PEOPLE PLEASER.

Byline: Marge Powers

Beryl Fitzpatrick of Northridge requested a recipe for the Outback restaurants' Bloomin' Onion. It just happens that we recently were perusing a copy of ``Top Secret Restaurant Recipes'' by Todd Wilbur and came across his rendition of the recipe. So, Fitzpatrick is in luck.

The Bloomin' Onion is a large, deep-fried onion sliced to look like a flower in bloom with a dipping sauce cleverly presented in the center of the onion.

If you have the time and patience to make it, no doubt you'll enjoy this wonderful appetizer.

BLOOMIN' ONION

DIPPING SAUCE:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons ketchup

2 tablespoons cream-style horseradish 

1/4 teaspoon paprika 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano 

Dash ground black pepper 

Dash cayenne pepper

THE ONION:

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 giant Spanish onion (3/4 pound OR more)

Vegetable oil for frying

For Dipping Sauce, in a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients. Keep sauce covered in refrigerator until needed.

For The Onion, in a medium bowl big enough to hold the onion, beat egg and combine with milk.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, peppers, oregano, thyme and cumin.

To slice The Onion, first slice 3/4 inch to 1 inch off top and bottom of onion. Remove papery skin. Use a thin knife to cut a 1-inch diameter core out of middle of onion. Now use a very sharp large knife to slice onion several times down center to create petals of completed onion. First slice through center of onion to about three-fourths way down. Turn onion 90 degrees and slice again in an X across first slice. Keep slicing sections in half, very carefully, until you've cut onion 16 times. Do not cut down to bottom. Last 8 slices are difficult, just use a steady hand and don't worry if your onion doesn't look like a perfect flower.

Spread petals of onion apart. Onion sections tend to stick together, so you'll want to separate them to make coating easier.

Dip onion in milk mixture and then liberally with dry ingredients. Again separate petals and sprinkle dry coating between them. Once onion is well-coated, dip it back into wet mixture and into dry coating again. This double dipping makes sure you have a well-coated onion because some coating tends to come off when frying. Let onion stand in refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to 350 degrees F. Use enough oil to completely cover onion when it fries.

Fry onion right side up in oil 10 minutes or until it turns brown.

When onion has browned, remove from oil and drain on a rack or paper towels.

Open onion wider from center so that you can put a small dish of Dipping Sauce in center. You also may use plain ketchup. Makes 2 to 4 appetizer or snack servings.

From ``Top Secret Restaurant Recipes Creating Kitchen Clones From America's Favorite Restaurant Chains'' by Todd Wilbur, Plume.

Can you help?

If you have recipes that can help this reader, please send them along to us at the address below to share in a future column.

Does anyone have a recipe for a red sweet and sour sauce made without oil that I could use over chicken salad?

Also, I would like a recipe for bakalava using shredded filo dough.

- Jewel C. Brown

Mission Hills