Blooming Onion (Allrecipes)

We have TONS of onions right now.  Luckily Spence was craving one so we found this recipe for a blooming onion.  It was super easy and yummy!  We didn't have the ingredients for the sauce so we just mixed miracle whip and ketchup for a good fry sauce, but I wanted to include it so we can try it the next time.

Ingredients   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
   1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
   1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (didn't have)
   1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
   1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
   1 large onion
   2 quarts vegetable oil for deep-frying

Beat egg and combine it with milk in a bowl large enough to hold the onion. In another bowl, combine flour and all of the spices.  

Prepare the onion: cut approximately 3/4 to 1 inch off of the top and bottom of the onion, remove skin. Remove the 1-inch diameter core from the middle of the onion. Using a large, sharp knife, slice down the center of the onion about 3/4 of the way down, turn 90 degrees and slice again. Keep slicing the sections in half, being careful not to cut to the bottom, until you have 16 sections. Spread the petals apart to make coating easier.  Then put the onion in an ice-water bath for an hour and the petals should spread even better.  We only did it for about 30 min.

Dip the onion in the milk, then coat well with the flour mixture. Separate the petals again and sprinkle the flour mixture between them. Once you have coated all of the petals well, dip it into the milk and into the flour mixture again. Place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes while you preheat the oil.
Pour enough oil to cover the onion into a deep fryer or deep pot. Preheat the oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry the onion right side up in the oil for 10 minutes or until golden brown. We only waited for it to be golden brown since we weren't sure of the temp. of our deep fryer.  Remove from oil and let drain in a rack or paper towels. Open the center of the onion wide so that you can put the small bowl of dipping sauce in the center.




Dipping Sauce Ingredients 
   1/2 cup mayonnaise
   3/4 tablespoon ketchup
   2 tablespoons cream-style horseradish sauce
   1/4 teaspoon paprika
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   1 pinch ground black pepper
   1 pinch cayenne pepper  

Make the dipping sauce: Combine mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 dash black pepper, and 1 dash cayenne pepper in a small bowl and refrigerate it until needed.

Mango Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Epicurious)

Can I just say mmmmm!  When we got the tropical pack from Bountiful Baskets it had vanilla beans.  I was so excited to make homemade ice cream with real vanilla beans.  This recipe was deliciously rich.  I didn't have cream so I used evaporated milk and it was still so rich that the added mango was needed to offset it.  To add the mango we cut it up and separated the pieces out on a plate.  Just put it in the freezer for a bit and add to the ice cream just before it's done.

 

Ingredients

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 vanilla beans, split in half lengthwise
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 egg yolks

Combine the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla beans, and extract in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until hot but not boiling, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Carefully remove vanilla beans and scrape the softened seeds from the pods back into the saucepan; discard pods.  Place yolks in a bowl and whisk constantly, slowly pouring in 1 cup of the hot-milk mixture. Continue to whisk until smooth.  Slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking constantly until well combined. Place saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (6 to 8 minutes); it should never boil. Strain mixture into a bowl. Cool to room temperature, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.