Vichyssoise - - FabulousFoods.com

Toolbar

Printer Friendly

RSS Feed

Bookmark

Home

Recipes

Soups

Cold Soups

Vichyssoise

Rate it!
Votes (0) | Comments (0)

By Lydie Marshall

Posted July 23rd, 2007

This article is reprinted with permission from Soup of the Day: 150 Sustaining Recipes for Soup and Accompaniments to Make a Meal, by Lydie Marshall, (2003, William Morrow Cookbooks)

Soup of the Day: 150 Sustaining Recipes for Soup and Accompaniments to Make a Meal

Servings:	8
Author Notes:	The classic French leek and potato soup is very good cold. In the States, it is known as vichyssoise. The French had never heard of vichyssoise. Louis Diat left his hometown of Vichy in France to work as the chef of the Ritz Carlton in New York City, where he embellished the lowly potato and leek soup of his parent into a sophisticated soup for his rich clientele. He substituted chicken broth, milk and cream for the water in the original recipe and decorated the soup with chives.
Ingredients:	6 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced (5 cups) 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter 1/2 pound small russet potatoes, peeled and halved (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced (1 cup) 1 tablespoon salt freshly ground black pepper 4 cups chicken stock 4 cups milk (whole, 2% or 1 %) 1/2 cup cream or half and half 1/4 teaspoon minced chives
Instructions:	Cut off all the green leaves of the leeks ad keep them to make stock. Cut the whites lengthwise twice up to 1/2 inch of the stems. Open up the leaves of the leeks just like a flower, and under cold running water discard any dirt. Slice the leeks into 1 inch pieces. In a 9-quart heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter. When it starts sizzling, stir in the leeks, potatoes and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce the heat, and braise for 15 minutes or until the leeks and onion are wilted, stirring and once in a while checking that nothing is burning. If the vegetables stick to the bottom of the pot, add about 1/4 cup water. Pour the broth and the milk over the vegetables. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. Purée the soup very quickly in a blender or food processor so the potatoes will not get gummy. Taste and correct the seasoning. Strain the soup through a sieve to obtain a fine texture for the soup. Refrigerate. When ready to serve, add the cream and more broth to thin the soup, if necessary. Pour into chilled soup plates. Sprinkle with chives.