The Outback invented them and now everyone has them.  Now so can you!

vegetable oil for frying
Todd Wilbur’s Dipping Sauce

Beat the egg and combine it with the milk in a bowl large enough to hold the onion. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, peppers, oregano, thyme and cumin. Carefully slice ¾ to 1" off the top and bottom of the onion and remove the papery skin. Now use a very sharp, large knife to slice the onion and form the petals.

First slice vertically through the center of the onion, cutting to within about ½" of the bottom.. Turn the onion 90 degrees and slice it again to form an "x" across the first slice. Do NOT cut onion down to the bottom.

Keep slicing the sections in half, very carefully, until you’ve cut the onion 16 times. The last 8 slices are a little tricky so use a steady hand and don’t worry if your onion doesn’t look like a perfect flower. When finished cutting, place onion in boiling water 1 minute. Remove and place in ice water 5 minutes. Loosen "petals" if necessary, drain onion, with cut side down

Dip the onion in the milk mixture and then coat it liberally with the dry ingredients. Again, separate the petals and sprinkle the coating between them. Once the onion is well coated dip it back into the milk mixture and then the dry mixture. This double dipping makes sure you have a well coated onion because some of the coating will wash off in the fryer. Let the onion rest in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes while you get the oil ready.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to 350 degrees. Make sure you use enough oil to cover the onion as it fries. Fry the onion right side up for 10 minutes or until it turns brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.