Place 1 3/4 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to mix.
Place 2 cups of the milk, the eggs, vinegar, and hot sauce in another bowl and whisk until blended, then pour into the flour mixture and whisk until just blended; do not overmix. Stir in the sliced onions and let the batter rest for 30 minutes. It should be slightly thicker than heavy cream. If it isn't, sprinkle in a little more flour. If it's too thick, add a little more milk. The batter should look somewhat free-form, not doughy.
Preheat the oven to its lowest setting.
Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 4 inches into a large, heavy saucepan and heat to 375°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Drop the onion fritter batter into the hot oil by the tablespoonful, a few at a time, and fry, turning once, until the fritters are golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes in all. The fritters will have an irregular, spiderlike look, with a few loose pieces of onion escaping here and there. Check a fritter by breaking it open to see if the center Is cooked; it it still seems unset, cook 1 minute more.
Drain on paper towels.
Place the fritters in the oven to keep warm while you finish frying them all.
Serve on a doily-lined platter or in a lined woven basket accompanied by the dipping sauce in one or more bowls.
Excerpted From Staff Meals from Chanterelle Copyright 2000 by David Waltuck and Melicia Phillips Used by Permission of Workman Publishing Co. Inc., New York
No Portion of this Publication May be Reproduced Without Written Permission of Workman
