[1] Voilà: a fusion of French onion soup and fondue (photo courtesy QVC).

[2] French onion soup means a thick topping of Gruyère cheese (photo © Taste Of Home).

[3] Fondue, on the other hand, is all cheese (photo © iGourmet).

We love fusion cuisine—the art of combining ingredients or techniques from different cuisines to create exciting new flavors.

Fusion cuisine typically combines foods from different countries or global regions (Japanese-Mediterranean, for example, or barbecue chicken pizza). But is it still a fusion when we combine two iconic dishes from neighboring countries?

Here we have a fusion of French onion soup with cheese fondue, which originated in Switzerland. It’s more of a neighborly fusion than a combination of ingredients from different parts of the world. But cheese lovers won’t quibble over semantics.

Who would have thought to fuse two dishes famous for luscious melted cheese?

The answer is: chef David Venable of QVC.

We think of this recipe as part of a romantic dinner or a weekend family special. But it’s crazy snowing here today, so we’re about to chop the onions and grate the cheese.

The recipe uses everyday ingredients and is easy to follow. It takes mere minutes to prep. A quick timing tip from Chef Venable: Pop your second course in the oven before you sit down for the onion soup fondue.
 
 
FRENCH ONION SOUP FONDUE RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. POUR the oil into a medium-size sauté pan set to medium heat. Sauté the onions, tossing frequently, until brown and caramelized, about 15-20 minutes. Set aside.

2. TOSS the cheeses with the flour in a medium-size mixing bowl until evenly coated; set aside.

3. COMBINE the beef broth, cooking sherry and concentrated beef broth in a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Bring to a slight simmer. Whisk the cheese into the mixture in four batches, waiting between each addition for the cheese to melt. Don’t let the mixture come to a boil. When the final batch has melted completely, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the caramelized onions.

4. TRANSFER the mixture to a fondue pot and sprinkle the nutmeg on top. Serve with French bread, or blanched asparagus spears, potatoes, broccoli, or cauliflower.

Find more of Chef Venable’s recipes at QVC.com.