Air-Fried Blooming Onions with Warm Cider Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
Prep Time: 35 minutes / Cook Time: 10 minutes / Yields: 3 servings
For the Blooming Onions:
- 3 large red onions
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Olive oil cooking spray
For the Cider Cheese Sauce:
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup milk
- ⅛ cup apple cider
- 1½ ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 3 tsp whole-grain mustard
Instructions
Preparing the Blooming Onions:
- Slice ½ inch off the pointed end of each red onion, then peel them while keeping the root ends intact.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the onions into quarters, but not all the way down to the root.
- Make three more cuts in each quarter to create 16 evenly spaced cuts in the onions, taking care not to cut through the root.
- Use your fingers to gently separate the sections, forming “petals” to resemble blooming flowers.
For Coating and Frying:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg.
- In another medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, garlic powder, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, and dried oregano.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Dip the prepared onions in the milk and egg mixture, then coat them thoroughly with the flour mixture.
- Preheat a 5- or 6-quart air fryer to 350°F for 3 minutes.
- Drizzle the coated onions with olive oil and lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray.
- Carefully pull out the air-fryer pan and basket, and place the coated onions in the basket.
- Slide the pan and basket back into the appliance, and keep the temperature set at 350°F.
- Set the timer for 10 minutes, rotating the basket halfway through the cooking time.
- Cook until the onions are golden.
Preparing the Cider Cheese Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the all-purpose flour and cook, stirring for about 1 minute.
- Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously for about 3 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens.
- Stir in the apple cider and cook for an additional minute.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and whole-grain mustard until smooth.
- Season to taste.
Serving:
- Serve the blooming onions drizzled with the warm Cider Cheese Sauce
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
You can use white or brown onions instead of red onions if you prefer.