Vichyssoise Soup
Louis Diat, a French chef at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City is most often credited with its reinvention in the summer of 1917, when he reflected upon the potato and leek soup of his childhood which his mother and grandmother used to make and how in the summer they use to cool it off by pouring in cold milk and how delicious it was.
Servings Prep Time
4 15minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
40minutes 20minutes (cooling)
Servings Prep Time
4 15minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
40minutes 20minutes (cooling)
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan or pot melt the butter over low heat.
  2. Before we add the leeks they need a thorough cleaning before they’re actually chopped up and added to the soup. To do so we simply cut the leek in half, lengthwise, so that now we have two long halves. Then we rinse each half under cool running water, pulling every leaf back to make sure we rinse any grit stuck between each leaf.
  3. Slice now the leeks into rings and add it to the soup
  4. Add the onion peeled and sliced.
  5. Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes.
  6. We add the potatoes peeled and thinly sliced and season with salt and pepper.
  7. It’s time to add thyme, marjoram, bay leaf. Stir well and gently.
  8. Cover pot and continue to cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
  9. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, partially covered for another 30 minutes.
  10. Puree soup using a blender or food processor and let it cool.
  11. Just before serving we add the cream to the soup.
  12. If we prefer to serve serve the soup warm instead we must warm it slowly so that the cream does not change consistency and breaks.
  13. A variation of this soup is the Potage Parmentier.