Fried Onion Mums Or Pom Poms

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.01

Title: Fried Onion Mums Or Pom Poms
Categories: Onions, Appetizer, Side, Dish
Yield: 1 servings

5 Yellow onions - medium to
-small onions - OR
2 Very large onions
4 c All-purpose flour
5 t Baking powder
2 T Paprika
1 t Garlic powder
2 t Greek seasonings
1 t Salt - or to taste
-black and/or Cayenne
-pepper - to taste
3 Eggs
1 1/2 c Milk
6 c -oil for deep frying
Louis Dressing (q.v.)

Cut off and discard the top half-inch of the onions. Peel them but do
not
cut off the root end. Place each onion, root end up, on a cutting
board.
With a sharp, pointed knife, make vertical cuts all around the onion
about
a quarter inch apart. Start the cut a quarter-inch from the root for
small
onions or a half-inch from the root for very large ones. Make sure the
knife goes into the center of the onion. Place all the onions in a
large
bowl of cold water, add ice cubes, cover and refrigerate several hours
or
overnight. The onions will open up like mums. Drain upside-down when
ready
to proceed. In a large bowl, mix together thoroughly the flour, baking
powder and spices. In another bowl, beat together the eggs and milk.
Dip
the onions one by one into the egg mixture, opening the petals with
your
fingers; let the excess drip off, and place in flour. Work the flour
mixture into the center gently with fingertips. Shake off excess flour
and
repeat egg dip and flouring, shaking off the excess thoroughly.
Half-fill a
deep fryer or large, deep, heavy pot with oil. (The author of this
recipe
used the bottom of her pressure cooker -- a small electric fryer will
NOT
do.) Heat the oil to 360F or until a small piece of dry bread turns
deep
gold in 15 seconds. Fry the onions without crowding them -- one at a
time
for large ones -- keeping them submerged with a spatula or by placing
the
frying basket on top of them. Plunge them in root end up and turn them
over once. To serve at once, fry large onions for about six or seven
minutes, small ones for five minutes, or until deep gold. Drain
upside-down
on paper towels; then invert on a serving plate. Keep warm in a low
oven
while frying the others. Remove the centers of large onions with a
very
sharp knife. Small onions may be left whole or the center can be
scooped
out with a melon-ball cutter. If serving the next day, fry the onions
until
pale gold; do not fry completely. Let cool. When ready to serve, reheat
the
oil to 380F and fry the onions just long enough to heat and brown,
about 15
seconds. Drain and serve. To get the same taste without making mums,
simply cut onions vertically to make "petals" or crosswise and separate
into rings. This can be done ahead and the petals or rings kept in ice
water. Egg, flour and fry as above.
Source: Culinary Q&A - Miriam Guidroz
From: Michelle Bass Date: 10-26-93

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