This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by. The winner is Natalie. Congrats!!

I love the experience of going to a coffee shop, ordering something fancy, and sipping it over conversation or a good read.  My husband tends to be more of a no-frills coffee drinker and can drink a freshly brewed carafe without a sprinkle of sugar.  Because I like my drinks with chocolate and whipped cream, I might splurge a couple of times a week as opposed to getting a daily fix like my husband.  My ideal cup of coffee would be flavored, but not too sweet, bold but not too bitter.

Last week, celebrity chef and entertaining expert Paul McCullough showed off his culinary skills with an interactive summer brunch demo.  The former Next Food Network Star owns a  catering business in LA called Paul’s Kitchen where he’s prepared food for Kelly Clarkson, Lance Armstrong, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  The menu, which featured several foods infused with hints of Starbucks new Natural Fusions Coffee, included the following dishes:

The Siren’s Scramble

Paul’s Popovers with Maple Bacon and Citrus Infused Butters

Starbucks Natural Fusions Maple Bacon

Chocolate Bowl as Edible Art with Fresh Berries

After sipping on fresh juices and Starbucks Natural Fusions coffee, we began preparing our Chocolate Bowls.  Entertaining is as much about the presentation of food as it is the flavor.  These bowls are very easy to make and particularly popular with children.

1. Melt 2 cups of dark chocolate chips in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, making sure to stir every 30 seconds (you could always melt chocolate in a double boiler but it takes longer).  Be sure you use a bowl that will accomodate a blown-up balloon.

2.  Blow up several balloons and spray them with a light coating of cooking spray.  You can dab the bottoms with a paper towel so the excess doesn’t run into the chocolate.

3.  Dip the balloons into the chocolate and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment (or wax) paper to prevent sticking. Paul had each of us drizzle some melted white chocolate into the dark chocolate before dipping which created an artsy design.

4.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until hardened and ready to serve

5.  Pop the balloon and carefully pull away any balloon pieces that remain.

6. Fill with fresh, organic, seasonal berries.

Here is the finished creation:

Next we watched as Paul demonstrated Starbucks Natural Fusions Maple Bacon.  I soo don’t eat bacon…but on Wednesday, I decided that I just had to try it.  I think that if bacon were prepared this way all of the time, I might throw out the “I don’t eat bacon” rule.  Here is how Paul created this dish.

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment (or wax) paper and set a flat rack on top.

3. Lay down bacon strips on the rack with the edges touching (about 1 pound thick-cut bacon or 10 slices)

4. Sprinkle bacon strips evenly with 1 tablespoon of Starbucks Natural Fusions Vanilla ground coffee

5.  Combine  2/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of real maple syrup and 2 tablespoons of freshly brewed Starbucks Natural Fusions Vanilla coffee in a small bowl.

6.  Brush the bacon with half of the sugar mixture.

7. Add course fresh cracked pepper lightly over the bacon (to taste). Paul actually sprinkled some of the strips with Cayenne pepper which gave it a kick!

8. Bake for 15 minutes.

9. Turn bacon strips over and sprinkle with remaining coffee, brush with remaining glaze and pepper

10.  Bake until crispy, approximately 10 minutes.

Because I love all-things bread, Pauls Popovers were my favorite dish.  He complimented them with two homemade butters…bacon and citrus.  They look elaborate but are super easy to make. Time to invest in a popover tin! : )

1. Preheat oven to 400

2.  Place 5 eggs and 1 2/3 cups half and half  in a large bowl and beat with a whisk until blended

3. Add 1 2/3 cups of flour and 1 t salt and mix well (some lumps are ok)

4.  Coat the pan with cooking spray and fill each cup 3/4 full

5. Place on the middle rack of your oven and ensure there is adequate space for them to rise (because they will!)

6.  Bake for 30 minutes (avoid opening the oven during baking time)

To make the maple bacon butter, Paul whipped 1/2 cup of finely chopped bacon (see recipe above) into 1 stick of softened, unsalted butter until fluffy.  I actually preferred the citrus butter which included marmalade, orange zest, and lemon zest (YUM!).

The last dish Paul made was a scramble.  What I liked about the dish was it’s versatility.  If you sub pasta for the eggs you can serve this for lunch (or brunch since both breakfast and lunch items are fair game).  I also want to attempt to make this as an omlette or frittata (stay tuned).

1. Mix one pound of sauteed spinach, one pound of browned and crumbled turkey sausage and one half cup of julienned sundried tomatoes and set aside.

2. Scramble one dozen eggs until almost done but soft.

3. Fold the spinach mixture through and sprinkle with eight ounces of seasoned feta.

Here is the omlette…

And the pasta variation…

With just a few tips from Paul on flavors and presentation, I can create an easy, inexpensive brunch that looks and tastes incredible.

Starbucks recently introduced their new Natural Fusions flavored ground coffees in Cinnamon, Caramel, and Vanilla. These coffees, which are available at grocers nationwide, are made with vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg ground and blended in with the coffee. The coffee itself is made with quality, ethically-sourced arabica coffee beans and roasted to complement each flavor (per the site).

There are times when I find the freshly brewed coffee at Starbucks locations to be a bit too strong (hence the fact that I stick with the more gourmet espresso drinks).  One of the great things about brewing coffee at home is that I can decide how strong I want it.  My favorite blend was the Vanilla and I actually don’t have to put sugar or chocolate in it!  Just a little half and half and Voila! A perfect cup of coffee in the comfort of my own home.

You can find more tips on creating that perfect Summer Brunch here.

Win It! One of you will received all three flavor varieties of Starbucks Natural Fusions and a mini French Press. Simply leave me a comment with the flavor you’d like to try or your current favorite drink at Starbucks. Comments will close on July 19th, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST.

US Residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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No compensation was received for this post. I was invited to the workshop and was provided coffee samples which helped facilitate this review.