#Crispy

Restaurant-Style Blooming Onion
MediumAmerican

Restaurant-Style Blooming Onion

A deep-fried blooming onion with every petal separate, coated all the way around and crisp to the centre — and two tricks that make it work at home. A sturdy glass under the onion stops the knife short of the root, so the cuts are even and the base stays whole. One minute in the microwave makes the raw petals flexible enough to open by hand without snapping. After the onion cools and dries, it goes through a double coating — seasoned flour with cornstarch and baking powder, an egg-and-kefir wash, flour again — and fries base-down at 170 °C / 340 °F for about 5 minutes until deep golden and craggy. Serves 4 as an appetizer.

35 min4 servings
Honey BBQ Chicken Tenders
EasyAmerican

Honey BBQ Chicken Tenders

Honey BBQ chicken tenders build their shell with a double dredge — seasoned dry mix, a thin sparkling-water batter, back into the dry, once more into the wet — then air-fry on greased parchment at 200 °C / 400 °F for 15 minutes. Meanwhile the glaze comes together in a pan: ketchup, brown sugar and honey melted gently, sharpened with cider vinegar, Worcestershire and sriracha, and finished with three tablespoons of cold butter pressed in as it melts for a rich gloss. The hot tenders go straight into the sauce. Serves 3.

35 min3 servings
Parmesan Potato Stacks
EasyFrench

Parmesan Potato Stacks

Parmesan potato stacks are the party build: thin, even rounds — unrinsed, because the surface starch is the glue — tossed with salt, dried thyme, paprika, pepper, olive oil and half a cup of grated Parmesan, stacked into little towers on parchment and baked 25 minutes at 200 °C, then rested 5 minutes while the starch sets them crisp. A Paris restaurant was layering potatoes like this back in the 1870s — pommes Anna, one portion at a time. Serves 4.

50 min4 servings