Posted By Ingrid Turner on Nov 18, 2013 in American Food Recipes, Ethnic Foods, Featured, Food Holidays, French, How To Cook, Main Dishes, Soups, Stews & Chilis, Western European Food | 0 comments

National Vichyssoise Day is November 18th, and here’s a great recipe I’ve tried to reinvent.

Vichyssoise is a soup I first tasted when I traveled to Spain, not France. It was a very hot day & the vichyssoise was served icy cold, and every-so-tasty.

How to Make Vichyssoise Soup:

My recipe is as close as I could come to the soup I had in Spain.

Type: Soup Recipe

Serve with: fresh, crusty bread & garnishes – listed below
Prep Time: 18 min
Cook Time: 1 hr
Chill Time: 2 hrs
Yields: 10 cups

Ingredients:

• 7 medium sized leeks – chopped
• 1/2 small onion – chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs potatoes – peeled & thinly sliced
• 7 cups chicken broth or stock – water or vegetable stock/broth
• 1 rib celery – minced
• 2 large cucumbers – thinly sliced
• salt & pepper – to taste
• 2 tbsp parsley – finely chopped
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream

Garnishes:

• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tbsp cucumber – small cubes
• 1 tsp tomato – small cubes
• 1 sprig parsley, basil or thyme

Instructions:

1. In a stock pot on low heat, melt butter.
2. Add chopped leeks & onion for about 20 minutes until tender. * Tip: Do not burn.
3. Mix in peeled & thinly sliced potatoes, chicken broth & celery.
4. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are well cooked – about 35 – 40 min.
5. Cool slightly.
6. Stir cucumbers into the cooled, but not cold, soup.
7. Bring back to a boil & remove from the heat.
8. Puree until very smooth & season with salt & pepper to taste, parsley & cayenne pepper. * Tip: If the puree is too thick, you can add more broth or water until the vichyssoise is the texture you desire. It should be velvety smooth.
9. Allow it to cool, if you intend to serve it cold. Gently reheat, if you want to serve it hot.
10. Stir in heavy cream.
11. Remove from heat for hot soup, or cool in the refrigerator to serve cold.
12. Re-taste to be sure it’s salty & peppery enough.
13. Ladle the soup into soup bowls or cups & garnish by swirling heavy cream, about 1 tbsp, into each bowl. Then, place 1 tbsp small cubes of raw cucumber, 1 tsp tomato & a sprig of parsley, basil or thyme.

How to Swirl Heavy Cream into Soup:

1. Drop cream by the tsp in about 4 or 5 locations on top of the soup.
2. Using a skewer, place in the middle of a cream blob & pull it through for about an inch in length, so each cream drop looks like a tear drop.
3. Pull each swirl in the same direction.

• Tip: If you make a mistake, stir in the cream blobs & start over or practice with soup in a smaller cup.

More Soup Recipes:

National Vichyssoise Day can be exciting with a tasty recipe like this.

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