Voila Vichy Potato Leek Soup
Voila Vichy Potato Leek Soup is simple elegance. This easy recipe can be mastered by any home cook, beginner or advanced. In less than an hour, dinner or lunch is served. Add cream to a puree of potato leek soup, and voila! you’ve just become a French chef mastering your first vichyssoise.
VISH-ees-WAHZ
Vichyssoise, pronounced VISH-ees-WAHZ, is served as a cold soup. However, it can also be enjoyed warm or hot. There is speculation about the origin of this chilled classic soup. No one can say for sure if this occurred in the town of Vichy in France or is an American invention. Despite the locale, whoever decided to add cream and serve it straight from the fridge most likely had no idea that he or she elevated this humble soup of the home kitchen to the status of legendary in fine dining.
Potato Pointers
Red potatoes are low in starch and great for boiling, stewing, roasting, grilling and pan-frying. They are perfect to pair with cheese or cream to make an au gratin or scalloped casserole. In short, red potatoes are the perfect potatoes to satisfy every culinary need.
Any variety of potato harvested before it reaches maturity is termed new potato. Other names are baby potato or creamer. These delicious tubers come to market in spring or early summer in a variety of sizes. Harvesting occurs while the leaves are green and before the sugar has converted to starch. The skin is thin and the flesh is crisp, moist, and waxy in texture. New potatoes are excellent for all types of cuisine and hold their shape after cooking. This quality makes them a great choice for potato salad. Because of their high sugar content, they are not a candidate for long storage.
Round red potatoes go by many names; new potatoes, red bliss and boiling potatoes. The moniker new potato is a reference to the small size and not the time of harvest. The skin is a reddish-brown or rose color. The flesh is white, dense and crisp.
The Mighty Leek
A leek looks like a huge fat scallion. It is a member of the genus Allium. Other members of this culinary group are onion, garlic, shallot, and chives. Like other vegetables of this genus, cooks use leeks to flavor stocks, soups and stews. The edible part of the vegetable is the bundle of leaves that resembles a stalk. Leeks are firm and crunchy and have a mild, onion-like taste. The dark green upper part of the leaves are rough in texture and discarded. This part is unsuitable for a soup or side dish but perfect for adding to stock for flavor. Long fibers run through the leaves. It is advisable to cut the leaves into 1 inch pieces to avoid the the fibers tangling into an unmanageable ball to chew and swallow. Boiled leeks are delicious when served cold with a vinaigrette.
Serve it Up!
Potato Leek Soup is sure to become one of your favorites. It can be a chunky stew or pureed and strained to make a velvety smooth soup. Serve it piping hot with your favorite rustic style bread and a glass of chilled white wine or sparkling mocktail. Oh – speaking of chilled – vichyssoise will impress your friends and family! Polish the cutlery, add a white table cloth and light the candles to set the mood for Voila Vichy Potato Leek Soup. Don’t forget your chef’s hat!
Voila! Vichy Potato Leek Soup
Equipment
- Blender, Immersion Blender, or Cuisinart
- Dutch Oven or large pot
- Colander with large holes
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 6-8 medium sized red potatoes
- 2-3 leeks
- 2 stalks celery with leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ lb butter (1 stick or 8 tbsp.)
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- diced chives for garnish
Instructions
- Cut off the dark green top of the leeks and use the white part, about the bottom third of the stalk.
- Slice lengthwise and wash carefully to remove all dirt.
- Chop into one inch small pieces and place in pot.
- Wash celery and chop into one inch small pieces and place into pot.
- Add butter to the pot.
- Over a medium heat, cook until the butter is melted and the veggies are soft.
- While the leeks and celery are cooking, wash and dice up the potatoes into small pieces.
- Add potatoes, minced garlic and chicken broth to the pot. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Let the mixture cool.
- Place into a blender and puree until all large chunks are broken down. Alternatively, place into a Cuisinart and pulse until blended or use an immersion blender.
- Strain through a colander to remove the skin and any remaining veggies that didn't break down.
- Season to taste. Garnish with chives. Serve hot.
- Optional: To make vichysoisse, add cream. Traditionally, vichysoisse is served cold, but you can enjoy it heated up as well.