When I saw these onion flowers in LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine, I knew I had to make them. They were so pretty and I’d never seen anything like them before, but they sounded so easy to make!
These flowers are made by simply slicing an onion into eighths, without cutting all the way through the onion so that it stays intact on the bottom, but the ‘petals’ fall down when baking to create a beautiful flower shape. The other ingredients are basic – just olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper – but the roasting gives the onions a really nice flavour, too!
I suggest you find small red onions for this if you intend on putting them on a plate with other food items
Cut onion in half down to about 1/2 inch of the root end but not through. Cut onions in half again and again crosswise to 1/2 inch of the root. Cut each quarter in half again but not through to the root. There should be 8 wedges attached at the bottom like a flower bud.
Place the onions in a bowl and gently toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Grease a baking dish large enough to hold the onions with plenty of space around them to open up completely, pinch of sugar
Cover with foil and bake at 425F for 25 to 30 minutes until onions have opened up and are nearly tender.
Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more, serve with a sprinkling of capers if desired. See the video step by step…
