A flat soup is my query. DD and I are trying to perfect French Onion Soup. We have added to a copy cat recipe of Applebee's --Worcestershire sauce-- and never used the hamburger buns (!) but croûtons or French bread instead. She has also used 1/2 c. white cooking wine to her latest batch (I cannot serve wine or keep wine in this household).

We are up to rating this to about a 85 out of 100 for best French onion soup we ever had.

Anyone want to tackle this original recipe or contribute a TNT (Tried N' Tested). Thanks.

The recipe I used is as follows:

6 WHITE ONIONS - sliced

BEEF STOCK - 8 cups

WATER - 1 cup

HAMBURGER BUNS - 5----NOT!

PARMESAN CHEESE - 10 tsp

PROVOLONE CHEESE - 10 slices

SALT - 2 - 3 tsp (I did not use though as I do not cook with salt)

BLACK PEPPER - 1/4 tsp (I did not use though as I do not cook with pepper)

OIL - 3 Tablespoons

GARLIC POWDER - 1/ 2 tsp

1) Heat oil in large pot to medium heat. Sauté the onions for approximately 10 minutes until they are soft

2) Add in beef stock, water, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, when boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes

3) Separate the hamburger buns top and bottom. Cut the crown off the top half so top and bottom are same size. Then bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes - these are your croûtons.

4) When the soup is done, spoon 1 cup into oven safe bowl and place croûton on top. Lay a slice of provolone cheese on top and sprinkle 1/2 tsp of Parmesan cheese

5) Turn the heat of oven to broil and cook the soup for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and turning golden.

Traditional recipes for F.O. soup call for thyme, preferably fresh, if available - didn't notice it in the recipe. It'll certainly enhance the flavor.

Also, I prefer yellow onions for this soup.

Finally, the lack of salt ( a personal choice) in this recipe can also cause the flatness. Salt is a "flavor enhancer", however there are substitutes for it.

Thanks so much, Bmichael. I did use yellow onions instead. Love onions and I did think my soup was strong enough but she didn't. Good point. (DD used white).

I can buy fresh thyme at the grocery store and will try that.

I believe you are also onto something with the salt. I have perfect BP and just don't use it because DH's BP is high, but we are only talking about a cup or two and I think I might be missing the boat on that.

My Dad, The Soup King, says you "always" need to start out with some bacon (or just the bacon fat) or some cabbage sauteed up to get the flavor going.

I suspect that when he made his FO Soup, he started otu with a couple teaspoons of bacon fat. Not much, it just adds a certain depth to the product....

Now when I made my beef-barley soup a couple weeks ago, i did not do that, and the absence was noticeable. I had to salt the heck outta it....

Very intersting and yummy thought, Jaki. Why not Sauté the onions in bacon grease.

Exactly, Ed! That's what he does, sautee the veggies in the fat......

Hmmm, his name is Ed too.... :>

Uh-Uh ....

Sawteah in "oil of an olive virgin"