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[Q.]

It's kind of a rainy, overcast and cool (certainly not cold like in some of the places all of you are in) and I decided to make French onion soup. I had a wonderful time in the kitchen, listening to Bocelli, cooking soup for lunch for my wife and I and grilling salmon outside at the same time.

Anyway, I tend to use vegetable broth in lieu of stock when making stuff that calls for it. I buy a boxed organic brand (forgot the name but it's from Central Market) that tastes fine to me.

Anybody go to the trouble of making your own stock and, if so, does it improve the flavor?

The one I buy has added sea salt which helps with the flavor but sometimes I'd like to minimize the salt. It was funny but to spice up the soup today, we just added salsa! Salsa improves just about anything.

[gardener]

What recipe do you use for the soup? We keep returning to Julia Child's. For those who don't have it, here it is.

l 5 cups of thinly sliced yellow onions slowly in 3 Tb butter & 1 Tb oil for 15 minutes.

Raise heat to moderate and stir in 1 tsp salt abd 1/4 tsp sugar. Cook 30-40 minutes stirring frequently until onions turn even, deep golden brown,

Sprinkle in 3 Tb fkiyr and stir 3 minutes.

Meanwhile you will have heated to boiling 2 qts brown stock, canned beef bouioooj.

Off heat, blend in the boiling liquid. Add 1/2 cuo dry white wine. Sunner parrtially covered for 30 to 40 minutes.

Just before serving stir in 3 Tb cognac. Garnish with rounds of hard toasted French bred, 1-2 cups grated swiss or parmesan cheese,


Salt? Some years ago someone gave us French fleurs du sal. I never knew that salt was anything other than salty, Morton, Grand Saline. I try every kind I can find, lately a pink salt fromTibet