55 mins
Vichyssoise by Odile
Recipe by Odile
The concept of Vichyssoise is simple; make some leek and potato soup, stir in cream, cool the soup quickly and serve. The proper French pronunciation is "vee shee swahzz" (and NOT "vee shee swah") and it was created by French chef Louis Diat in 1917 at the fashionable Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Madison Avenue at 46th Street. In typically Gallic style Diat was famously quoted as saying "There are five elements: earth, air, fire, water and garlic." And who am I to argue with that?
Only at NeedaRecipe.com - a rich, cool, smooth soup with lashings of cream on a summer's day plus an education too!!
This particular recipe was given to me by a wonderful lady called Odile who served it to us one warm evening in the village of La Chapelle-en-Vercors in southern France. It was creamy, refreshing and utterly delicious. Hats off to Odile and to her Vichyssoise recipe.
Vermicelli Upma 
Victorian Chicken Pie Ingredients for Vichyssoise by Odile
Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
How to Cook Vichyssoise by Odile
- Peel and chop the onions. Remove the green leaves and the roots of the leeks. Wash and thinly slice the leeks, peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Melt the butter in a large frying pan (skillet), add the onions and fry gently until they become translucent (but not brown). Add the leeks and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and the chicken stock, bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 30 minutes (unril the potatoes are tender)
- Allow to cool slightly then either sieve (strain) or work in an electric blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl or soup tureen, stir in the cream and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Place in the fridge to chill and serve cool sprinkled with chopped chives or finely chopped spring onions (a.k.a. scallions or salad onions).
ODILE'S HOT TIP:
Some people are unsure how to clean leeks... no problem, take a look at our Leeks Recipe
Reviews of Vichyssoise by Odile
| July 12 2020 A lovely, creamy cold soup that is fantastic on a hot day. The taste is incredible from just those simple ingredients. It's quick and easy to make and, even though I made enough for six, my family of four were shouting for more and demanding a repeat the next day. Lovely five-star recipe. judyM (3 reviews) |
January 09 2015 I served this (chilled) in shot glasses at my French themed cocktail party. It was delicous and I had the leftovers with a salad and bread the following day. cindy_2 (1 review) |
February 14 2013 Vichyssoise is a classic minimalist recipe that should not be altered to make it taste 'different' by adding bacon or sour cream or lots of herbs. Eesh! Nor is it served hot as I have seen in some 'restaurants'. And I'm glad you reminded inexperienced cooks to rinse well the chopped leeks to wash away the almost invisible sand in them. This can ruin a lovely soup. This is a very GOOD recipe for Vichyssoise. It doesn't mess about with the original concept. martin (1 review) |
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 October 21 2012This classic recipe is elegant in its simplicity but the choice of ingredients is critical. Avoid any temptation to substitute lower quality, pre-processed or packaged ingredients for the sake of time or convenience. Bad Vichyssoise is like wallpaper paste but doesn't taste as good. This one really tastes good! Miss_Fuzzy (1 review) |
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