There are some foods that are nostalgic. People either associate them with a specific person from their child, or maybe an occasion that sticks in their memory.

For me, the Bloomin’ Onion is one of those foods. I took a trip to Florida with my family when I was younger, and we went to the Outback Steakhouse (something we don’t have in Canada). All I remember eating there was this giant flower-looking platter of battered and fried onion. This dish isn’t quite the same as they make it there, but it still brought me back.

I adapted this recipe from Yammie’s Noshery, a blog that never disappoints. I’m pretty sure that Outback Steakhouse deep fries their giant Bloomin’ Onion, but this way is a lot less greasy and smelly. It’s also gluten-free which can’t hurt!

This is a great dish to serve when you’re having company over because it just looks so cool. You can serve it with whatever sauce you prefer, but since I was following a recipe I chose to serve mine with a remoulade sauce which is a little sweet and spicy.

Ingredients

• 1 large Vidalia onion (or the next best onion you can find)
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted

For the Egg Wash:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard

For the Crumb Mix:

• 3/4 cup cornflake crumbs (not made with malted barley if you are gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the remoulade sauce (optional):

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tsp. white vinegar
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. mustard
• 3 tsp. spicy horseradish
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• A few drops of hot sauce
• Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
• Fresh chopped tomatoes or green onions to garnish

Method

To make Bloomin’ Onion: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together eggs, water, paprika, garlic powder and mustard. In a separate bowl, mix cornflake crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Set both aside.

Cut a thin layer off the top of your onion (about 1/2-inch) and peel the skin off. Cut the tip of the root so the onion is stable, and cut the onion into about 8 wedges but DO NOT cut all the way down–leave roughly 1/2 an inch. You want the onion to be able to bloom out without falling apart.

Place the onion in a large bowl and coat with half the egg mixture. You can spoon excess mix in between “petals”, making sure it is well coated everywhere. Transfer onion to separate bowl, and coat with half the cornflake crumbs (again, making sure it gets everywhere). Repeat process.

Place onion on a greased baking sheet and drizzle with melted butter. Bake on middle rack for 40-45 minutes and serve with remoulade sauce.

To make remoulade sauce: Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl with the exception of garnishes (tomato, green onion, etc). Top with garnish once well mixed and serve with Bloomin’ Onion and other appetizers.