How well do you know your coffee?

Counter Culture Coffee wants you to get to know it better. You’re invited to take part in The Counter Culture Coffee Cup Tasters Challenge 2013, held on March 15 in:

 
Events in all regions start at 7 p.m. E.T., 6 p.m. C.T. in Chicago.

Known in the industry as “coffee cupping,” this is the process professionals use to assess different coffees—for example, to decide if and how to improve the roast or blend, or which beans should be served/sold by the establishment.

The Counter Culture event, though, is a consumer contest for a regional title win. The overall winner gets a chance to go to the Specialty Coffee Association of America conference in Boston this April, to compete in the U.S. Cup Tasters Championship.

For a $5.00 entry fee, participants get to taste delicious coffees: multiple sets (flights) of three cups each. To win, you’ve got to correctly identify which cup is different from the other two in each set.

Ready to put your palate to the test? Registration information is at CounterCultureCoffee.com.

[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.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

While Mom used Hershey’s or Droste’s cocoa mixes, our evolving palate led us to hot chocolate, a richer drink made from bits of shaved chocolate. With cocoa powder, half of the cocoa butter has been removed (see the difference between cocoa and hot chocolate).

We’ve reviewed dozens of gourmet hot chocolate and cocoa mixes.

But hot chocolate on a stick is a novelty. A block of quality chocolate is placed at the end of a Popsicle-type stick and served with a cup of hot milk (or water, which some people prefer). The fun is then to stir and stir until the chocolate melts in the milk. It takes a while, but it’s an amusing activity, every now and then.

(Note: If you don’t have patience, don’t buy hot chocolate on a stick. Instead, chop, grate or shave two ounces of fine chocolate and whisk in the boiled milk.)

The Ticket Kitchen is a Bay Area chocolatier that specializes in hot chocolate on a stick, in nine varieties (we’ve had four of them, all delicious):

The products are sold at fine retailers and online.

Read our full review of Hot Chocolate On A Stick.
 
MORE HOT CHOCOLATE GOODNESS

[2] It’s also the perfect day for Green Eggs and Ham (photo © Food Network).

[3] The green comes from creamy avocados.

This year it’s Avocado Deviled Eggs: Avocado replaces the mayo in this party classic.

This recipe, from Avocados From Mexico, yields 12 deviled eggs.

> 100 St. Patrick’s Day recipes.

> The history of deviled eggs.
 
 
GREEN DEVILED EGGS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the egg yolks and avocado in a small bowl; mash until smooth.

2. STIR in yogurt, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper; mix thoroughly. Stir in jalapeño and onion

3. SPOON into egg white shells, dividing equally. Arrange on a serving plate. Cover lightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 3 hours. Garnish with chives before serving.
 
RECIPE: GREEN EGGS & HAM

 
Here’s the recipe from Food Network (photo #2).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Before spring and summer fruits arrive, we harness the color and flavor these rosy oranges to bring pizzazz to a green salad. Pink grapefruit works, too.

The concept may seem unusual if one’s mind separates vegetable salads from fruit salads. But replace cherry tomatoes with oranges or pink grapefruit, and your salad will taste much brighter. Berries also add a lift to green salad, but the lively acidity of oranges and grapefruit do a better job.
We took a wonderfully refreshing summer salad from THE NIBBLE’s consulting chef Eric Dantis, and turned it into a something that brightens up a chilly March day.

The flesh of blood oranges ranges from pink to deep rose, above. Photo courtesy Melissas.com.

The original recipe follows. “If you want to keep it simple,” says Chef Eric, “just dice up some tomatoes and an equal amount of watermelon and toss with some basil and good sea salt for a super refreshing, clean salad.”

This side salad contains blood oranges, onion
and strawberries. It’s a refreshing side to any
savory dish. Photo by Jerry Deutsch | THE
NIBBLE.

TOMATO & WATERMELON SALAD, WITH
SUBSTITUTIONS
As tomatoes and watermelon are not yet at their prime, we substituted blood oranges and strawberries in this recipe. That may seem like a lot of substituting, but the lesson is: Don’t be afraid to substitute any ingredients. You may well discover a favorite new combination.

Ingredients Per Serving

1. MIX halved cherry tomatoes with watermelon cubes in a medium-sized bowl.

2. STIR in basil and onion.

3. SEASON with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil to taste.

4. STIR in balsamic vinegar.

5. TOP with optional ham and/or cheese, for a sweet and savory bite (this can turn a side salad into a luncheon salad).

5. SERVE immediately.
NOTES

 
FIND MORE REFRESHING SALAD RECIPES IN OUR GOURMET VEGETABLES SECTION.