Can you help me perfect my recipe?

Question

I have been working on a french onion soup recipe. Everyone I've made this for LOVES it, but to me it seems to be lacking a little in flavor strength. Here it is, I'm open to any suggestions or tips you might have. Thank you! :)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsalted margrine

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. EVOO

1/4 loaf cubed french bread

1 large sliced white onion

2 small sliced red onion

1/4 t. ground thyme

20 slices swiss cheese

2 1/2 T. Worchestershire sauce

1/2 c. Merlot

10 slices provolone cheese

4 14.0 oz. cans beef broth

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter with EVOO in stock pot on med. heat. Add onions and continually sit until tender and translucent. Do not brown onions.

Add beef broth, worchestershire sauce, merlot, thyme. Season w/ salt and pepper, simmer 30 min.

Heat the oven broiler.

Toast cubed bread.

Ladle soup into oven safe crocks and place hadful of bread on top of each. Layer bread with provolone and swiss.

Place crocks on cookie sheet covered w/ alumminum foil and broil in preheated oven until cheeses bubble and brown slightly.

Answer 1

First this recipe sounds great I am going to try this one at home and let you know how it tastes. But for right now from what I see you could try to use...

fresh thyme instead of ground

white wine or vermouth instead of merlot

add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider

slices of baguette instead of french bread

spanish onions

gruyere cheese instead of swiss

chicken stock instead of beef

try to caramelize the onions as well.

Please don't read this and think that I think I know more about this than you as some people have on Y!A. I think it is great that you are getting other perspectives on a dish to make it better. These are just some suggestions mostly the differences between both of our recipes.

Answer 2

I think this sounds amazing! French Onion soup is my favorite! A local restaurant here where I get mine has minced garlic in it. Yummy! Maybe just try that and see if it makes a difference. Let us all know what you have decided to try. Good Luck and happy cooking,

Answer 3

You have barely any herbs in there (only 1/4 tsp. ground thyme).  Why not add 1 TB. FRESH chopped thyme and oregano ...  You might add a little garlic too.....

Answer 4

Try using bouillon. You can get it in stock cube or powder form.

Answer 5

Add some onion and garlic powder, maybe garlic salt into the soup. Works with flavorless mashed potatoes too :)

Answer 6

More onions!  

Why do you not want to brown the onions?  Browning caramelizes the sugars in them and gives a deeper flavour.  Try browning them and see if there is a difference. But definately add more onion, preferably the white ones.

Answer 7

Others have mentioned more herbs, browning onions, etc.  You're also getting a lot of flavor from your cheese.  Make sure it's good quality,  strong cheese, and use more Swiss and less Provolone (unless it's aged Provolone, which has much more flavor).

I would also real butter, not margarine.  

And deepen the flavor of your broth by boiling it down before adding.  Try using 5 cans instead of 4, but boiling it down to the volume of 4 cans before adding.  Or dissolve a bullion cube in the broth before adding.  The best way would be to make homemade stock, but that's a lot of work.

Answer 8

Use unsalted butter not magarine.

Use only white onions not red onions.

Add one clove garlic finely crushed.

It's paramount that the onions are cooked slowly on a medium heat until they caramelise (the onions give up there natural sugars). During the cooking stir the onions occasionally.

When your onions are evenly brown deglaze the pan with the red wine and add 1 tbsp of tomato puree (this will add body to your soup without being obvious) and stir well.

Now add the beef stock and worcestershire sauce a small sprig of fresh thyme (use a sprig so you can remove it later).

Simmer for 45 minutes, remove the thyme then season with salt and pepper.

In France it varies from region to region but I prefer to cut the bread into flutes.  You take a baguette and slice on a slight angle about 1/2" thick.  It depends on how wide your soup bowls are so use 1 or 2 slices per bowl.  Rub the bread with a little olive oil the toast lightly on both sides.

Instead of using Swiss and Provalone cheeses, use the cheese the French use for this soup Gruyere.  

To Serve...Fill your bowls with hot soup top wth the toasted bread. Sprinkle on plenty of grated Gruyere cheese and melt in a hot grill or oven.

Answer 9

If you're looking for more flavor, add more of the ingredients that gives it flavor (thyme, onions).  If you like garlic, garlic is always good, maybe use red pepper instead of black.

Your recipe looks yum-o.

Answer 10

Try seasoning your bread first. Salt pepper, maybe rub it down w/ fresh garlic?  

Answer 11

You have it right, except, you gota youse butter and brown, carmelize your onyons, then your down town.