Sara Novak
Yesterday my husband turned the big 3-0. For his birthday I gave him Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volumes 1 and 2. He loves to cook almost as much as I do and he's somewhat of a perfectionist in the kitchen. For his birthday lunch we made Julia Child's Vichyssoise soup, which is a cold potato leek soup served with a bit of cream. The soup was spectacular, delicate and creamy but not overpowering.
And in terms of a Julia Child recipe, it was particularly simple. I love a seasonal cold soup when the weather heats up. It's a great low impact way to feed a crowd. Vichyssoise is a classically vegetarian dish, but at the same time, it's rich enough that a meat eater won't notice the difference. This soup will last in the fridge for days, so you can make a batch and then eat the leftovers. Julia Child says that it's great for a light lunch with a salad, fruit, or cheese. So that's what we did.
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
| 3 cups | potatoes, peeled and cut into half moons |
| 3 cups | leeks, chopped (only the white part) |
| 1 ½ | quarts vegetable stock (homemade or organic) |
| Salt to taste | |
| ½ cup | heavy cream |
| Salt and pepper to taste | |
| fresh chopped chives for garnish |
Preparation
- Simmer the vegetables in the stock for 40 to 50 minutes, partially covered. Add salt
- Blend with an immersion blender if you have one, or in batches with a regular blender.
- Run through cheese cloth to smooth out the consistency.
- Take off the heat and add cream. Season again with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with chopped chives and serve.
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