In the heat of August, vichyssoise earns its keep: a silky potato and leek soup meant to be eaten cold, straight from the fridge. The site already has a small collection of warm leek soups, mushroom and leek soup, pumpkin and leek soup and celery and leek soup (recipes on the site); this is the summer member of the family.
Vichyssoise has a funny history for a soup that sounds so aristocratically French: it was actually invented in New York, at the Ritz-Carlton, by a French chef named Louis Diat, who chilled down his mother’s warm potage parmentier, a simple potato-leek soup from the Vichy region, to please American guests sweating through a summer lunch service. So really, it belongs as much to this country as it does to France, which feels fitting for a blog written from an American kitchen.
The trick to a truly silky vichyssoise is patience at the blender and, if you want to go the extra mile, pushing the pureed soup through a fine-mesh sieve before it goes into the fridge. It needs a good four hours to chill through properly, so plan ahead, but the actual cooking is done in half an hour, most of the work here is just waiting.
Vichyssoise Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for serving
- Salt and white pepper, to taste
- Fresh chives, finely chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft but not browned, about 10 minutes.
- Add the stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender.
- Let cool slightly, then puree the soup until completely smooth using a blender, in batches, or an immersion blender.
- Stir in the heavy cream. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
- Chill the soup in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, or overnight, until very cold.
- Taste again before serving, since cold soups often need a touch more salt than you would expect. Ladle into chilled bowls, swirl in a little extra cream, and scatter with chives.
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