This classic 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. Using half and half instead of heavy cream, processed potatoes instead of fresh, or canned chicken broth instead of homemade will ruin this dish. Remember: Bad Vichyssoise is like wallpaper paste but doesn't taste as good.
This is a great basic recipe for Vichyssoise, Priscilla. I used 4 leeks, added a bit more butter, increased the cooking time to 20 minutes in step 1 and to 1 hour in step 2. After the puree stage, I whisked in my heavy cream, and I used a full 2 cups to achieve the type of rich and creamy texture I am used to in this dish. I then covered and chilled, and garnished with chives before serving with Awsomely Easy Sesame Asparagus and Garlic Butter bread (recipes also on this site) for a fabulous meal last night. Thank you so much.
This was a great recipe for potato leek soup! The only change I would make is to add some garlic to the leeks next time. I also haven't added the cream yet because it is cooling and I'm not sure I need to; it's that good without it. I think this would be a great hot soup in the winter it's nice and hearty and filling. I might finish it all before it cools enough to serve cold!
Vichyssoise is a classic minimalist recipe (it is American not French) that should not be altered to make it taste like a baked potato by adding bacon and sour cream. Eesh! Nor is it served hot. That said I think newbies should be reminded to soak and rinse well your chopped leeks to wash away the almost invisible sand in them. This can ruin a lovely soup.
Just a note about the history and uses of this basic recipe... Most people believe the chef who invented vichyssoise was French, working in America; his name was Louis Diat, working at the Ritz-Carlton in NYC. He based the recipe on his mother's leek and potato soup, which is an old French classic hot winter soup. His innovation is trying it as a cold summer soup. So, those who have (sensibly) tasted it hot and found how good it is, are just discovering a classic French soup. And yes, it can be bland, which is why the French often use herbs when making it.
Note on the bay leaf, I graded this recipe down because it is always necessary to remove bay leaves before blending or serving and the recipe does not mention that. They can actually be dangerous. The only bay that can be left in is the powdered version (which does not last as long). My other objection is that the recipe should mention that leeks need to be cleaned carefully to get out any sand. It should also say "white part only" which is the most easily usable part.
EXCELLANT!!! I too used fresh thyme I have a nice kitchen herb garden... Followed it exactly served it cold with a nice Caesar salad as another reveiwer suggested. Wonderful on a hot day in response to Jenni...Chicken stock makes ALL the difference!! That's the subtlety 'under' the potatoes and leeks that makes Vichyssoise - Vichyssoise LOL!! Try it for yourself with chicken and taste the change.
Our favorite French restaurant had Vichyssoise as the soup d'jour couple of nights ago. I loved it so much that it inspired me to make my own. This recipe was easy to follow and the soup came out amazing. Instead of a blender I used a hand mixer right in the pot. The only suggestion I have is to cut the potatoes into small cubes because the hand mixer doesn't blend it as smooth as the blender so I had small chunks of potatoes and onions in the final product. My boyfriend LOVED the soup he said it was better than some of the vichyssoise they serve is restaurants. ALL THUMBS UP!!!
This soup was down right elegant!!! I followed the recipe exactly except that I had fresh thyme that needed using so I used 1/2 tsp of that. I tried some at room temperature and then gently warmed some. Personally I like it warm. That little bit of cream really gives it a lovely velvety texture. Thanks for such a delightful and simple to prepare recipe.
I served this cold in shot glasses at my french themed coctail party. It was delicous cold. I had the leftovers hot with a salad and bread. YUMMY.
me and my family thought this soup was ok. but it was soooooo thick it was like gravy!! i had to add a TON of water to even get it to a soup consistency. it tasted really good though just way too thick.
