Vichyssoise

This was a great starting point. (Recipes exist to get ideas, not to follow.) I like vichyssoise, but am always a bit disappointed in the blandness. I added a clove of garlic and half cup of finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, lovage, oregano, majoram, savory, thyme, basil and a lot of chives). I garnished with more chives and fresh cracked pepper.

ok. I cheated and sampled the leek potato mixture as it was cooling. Awesome. But then I added the dairy - I used nonfat half and half - and suddenly this delicious soup became diluted, more fattening and less enticing. It was good. But prior it was exquisite. So next time, I'm adding the half and half a quarter cup at a time. Also, bacon bits and chives on top and with less cream a dollup of sour cream. Just like in baked potatoes! And who knows, may even serve warm instead of chilled. I'm out of control!

try using non fat half and half instead of the cream. Works very well and cuts out a lot of calories!

My first taste of Vichyssoise - excellent! Easy, straightforward recipe. Enjoyed it this warm summer afternoon with a fruit compote, fried bread fingers, and chilled Pinot Blanc, in the cool shade in my garden. Even my gourmet Belgian Shepherd loved it! Don't miss trying this one!

Just had gum surgery and my wife made this for me. Excellent. My wife even made herself a non-pureed batch without the cream and she loved it. Thanks.

Mmmm delicious. It is basicly a cold leek&potato soup, but the genious of it is the idea of serving it cold. I would never have thought of that. Very nice, smooth and pleasing in the summer heat. Must serve with a big chunk of bread for dipping.

I made this soup for my family tonight. It is VERY good!!! My husband said he would prefer it hot though. We may try it again this fall/winter that way. It is a very strong, rich soup. We ate it with a flatbread ( Also found on AllRecipes :-)

I have made this five times now and love it! My husband actuallly prefers this served hot.

I agree that this was a great starting point. I combined this recipe with the Classic Vichyssoise recipe by 2doulas and another from one of my cookbooks and ended up with a beautiful soup that my guests adored. The key is to use the herbs called for in the other recipe, sub white pepper for the black, use fat-free half-and-half instead of cream, and garnish with sour cream and chives. Yum, yum, yum!

I really enjoyed this recipe...just the thing for a hot day-easy and delicious. I threw in some scallions ans shallots I had on hand, just because. We enjoyed it with a big delicious ceasar salad!

husband really loved this soup

Vichyssoise is supposed to be a mild, subtly flavored soup, and this recipe has the perfect, classic (and classy) flavor. I wanted to make the Vichyssoise I remember from my childhood but I couldn't find my mom's recipe so gave this a try. I was worried that the regular onions would change the flavor, but it was perfect! As with others I adjusted the dairy; I started with half-and-half, and finished with cream, tasting after each addition until it was how I wanted; ended up using about 1 cup in total. I also found that it needed a bit more salt and pepper after adding the dairy; just check to be sure it meets your taste. Make it the day before you expect to serve it. Highly recommended!

great recipe, but I was looking to get rid of more fat and had nonfat greek yogurt on hand....and substituting the yogurt for the cream worked great!

Perfect! We usually crave and can only get this at a swanky private club downtown. Whoa!! They will be missing us. Easy, excellent!

I used vegetable stock in place of the chicken and just a little cream and subbed the rest with lowfat milk. It was still fantastic! I think it's better cold than hot.

Good recipe, but who needs all of that heavy cream? It is good on its own, or with a little bit of milk. Another tip is to add a few gratings of nutmeg....yes, nutmeg. Try it sometime!

Yum. Make sure you rinse the leeks well, or the soup will turn out gritty (learned this the hard way). I also followed a previous review's advice and only added heavy cream to taste -- maybe 2/3 cup, instead of the 1 1/8 called for. A light, delicious meal for a hot summer evening.

Pretty much amazing, especially with extremely fresh ingredients. Good cold or hot, and with a little sour cream on top.

My mom and I loved it. Very savory and delicious. I agree that adding the extra toppings and maybe substituting half and half would enhance the flavor even more.

I made this recipe this week and it was delicious. Being french, I'm ashamed to say this was my first attempt at Vichyssoise. I made it exactly as called and couldn't have enjoyed it more. I did sprinkle a little dill in the last step. I love dill and it really added something to it. Thank you for a great recipe.

An excellent recipe - very easy, VERY YUM!!!! I adjusted it slightly, using vegetable stock instead of chicken and using a lighter cream mixed with sour cream to give the soup its creaminess. I might even try doing it with milk and sour cream to see how that turns out.... I did use some Indian/curry spices on occasion in the recipe and it gave a different taste that was also very delicious... Definitely one to make regularly in the summer, especially when you can get local products to support your area farmers and farmers' markets!

Made this for a ten-course meal we potlucked. Absolutely everyone loved it. Do not change a thing. Perfect as it is.

I tasted it before I added the cream and it was quite bland. Didn't end up adding the cream after all as I didn't want to drown what little flavor it had.

My husband said, "Fishy-what?". This is a great recipe! I used 4 russet potatoes (way more than 3/4 cup but, perfect for up to 5 servings), added fresh garlic, topped with fresh parley and chives from the garden. A really nice cool dinner on a hot summer day. Oh, and the husband loved it!

An idea: add the cream bit by bit, to taste. Without cream, this is a pretty "hardy"-tasting soup. The cream transforms it into something lighter and more "Renaissance". I found it was up to me to decide the right balance of delicateness and solid flavor. For a 5-serving recipe using double the potatoes and some herbs (a tiny bit of thyme and bay leaf), I needed just under 1C cream.

I used frozen shredded potatoes to save time and half&half to save calories... came out wonderfully! This is a great recipe!!

ummmmm....yummy! The fact that it's fast and easy makes it even better!

Great and easy recipe. I added the chopped chives and curry powder for garish as it said in the note.

Great soup! I made a BIG mistake but it is still delicious. I forgot to add the cream at the end (and I sent my guy out to the store in the morning to get some!!). It was delicious without but I am looking forward to making it again this week WITH the cream. We are now ENJOYING!!??? the first heatwave of the summer.

The recipe is basically sound but I found the use of Heavy Cream to be overpowering. I would make this again but use Half and Half.

This is an excellent recipe. Yummy hot or cold. I also used half and half rather than heavy whipping cream and it was delicious. I just slowly added it at the end to taste. It was wonderful garnished with fresh chives and ground pepper.

This is a great soup...you really can't go wrong. I like the idea below of adding some fresh garlic. Will try that next time! Also - westcoastcook...when things are bland, that's when you are supposed to season more :) Do not be afraid of the salt and pepper!

This recipe is perfect! Like others, I added the cream about 1/4 cup at a time to get the right balance for my taste. Otherwise, it's just like the one my mom makes!

This is a great basic recipe for Vichyssoise. Modify it too much and you won't have the real thing. I do use white pepper rather than black to keep the color true. Thanks for posting it!

Delicious. Used milk instead of cream.

i just made this soup, and although it's not cold yet, it's quite rad! :) delish

This soup is best when left to sit for 24 hours before serving.

Very yummy! Added some egg noodles, diced potatoes and carrots to the pureed soup. Also didn't put it as much cream as called for. Very delicious and filling.

Absolutely delicious! My first time with a cold soup, to make as well as only the second time I have eaten cold soup. I will make this often and will try the other recipe on this site. Much the same only it adds herbs.

This was very good, we enjoyed it!

I started with this recipe, and yes, it is sort of bland. I added a tablespoon of Zatarans' liquid crab boil and a half lb. of jumbo lump crab meat at the very end. Every one agreed. . .WOW!

Delcious, simple and elegant. I prefer it warm, but it's great no matter what.

great and reshing summer soup

I loved this cold soup. Added garlic and green onion because there were no leeks in our small grocery store. Also increased the amount of potatoes to 1 1/2 c. Served with bacon bits and small amount shredded cheddar cheese and chopped chives. Thanks for this simple and tasty recipe. Will definitely serve it again!

Used as base recipe, incorporating 2doulas herbal seasonings and substituting half & half. Leeks were fresh from the farmers' market ...major yummy!

I, like many of the other folks, use this recipe as a starter-- and this one is easy to experiment with . A few commented that it lacked taste. I switched the potatoes in the recipe for sweet potatoes with skin on that I had nuked in a microwave until they were soft. I also added a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic (because EVERYTHING goes better with garlic) I then substituted a can of condensed non fat milk for the cream and served it with sprinkled chives on top. I can honestly say I got rave reviews from our company as a new very healthy take on an older dish

Classic and delicious.

I made this last night for dinner, but added one cup of creme fraiche and it was wonderful! If making for a dinner party, I would suggest preparing it the day before. I have one small criticism re the recipe (not on the taste) but on the appearance. of the soup, as listed. I noticed that the picture of the soup looks very green which I think unusual for vichyssoise, so I used only the white parts of the leeks and some of the light green (sparingly). For this, I needed to used four leeks with a lot of the light green bagged up for another use.

I made this recipe exactly as outlined in the recipe. Very smooth and delicious.

super creamy and I loved the taste of the leeks as they cooked. I think I will try adding curry I think it will be super.

Good recipe, although the onion is a departure from most recipes I have tried. I think I prefer to use only leeks. "The finest of all cold soups - and the very best thing invented in the USA!" seems rather odd--unless there is a Vichy in Minnesota (?), and in terms of American inventions, the Ford T takes the cake!

Have used this before straight, and it was great. Justed added a bit of shallot. And fresh garlic. This time I used some whey I had left over from making feta, substituted for most of the chicken stock. It was even better. BTW I thicken the soup using flaked mashed potato mix. Works great! Le revanche meilleur c'est manger bien!

It's very easy to make and safer if you use a handheld immersion blender. So delicious I am making it on December 6th.

Awww, yeah!

Sooooo versatile. I found I can pressure cook any amount of veggies for 6 minutes (most recently Potatoes, celery, garlic), puree them in pot, add butter, cream, pepper (also added leftover ricotta cheese) and Bam! a stupendous soup! I added some balsamic vinegar for zing too.