[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.