Summer has officially arrived, and with it, the dry summer heat for which Sacramento is so well known. Chilled soups were invented for hot days like these. Vichyssoise, a chilled creamy potato and leek soup, was created by a chef at the Ritz-Carlton in New York in the summer of 1917, to help keep patrons cool.
Chef Louis Diat was French, hence the French name of the soup. (Don’t try asking for a Vichyssoise in France, you’ll get puzzled looks; it’s an American soup).
Chilled soups used to be a lot more popular than they are these days, especially before WWII and modern air conditioning.
The original Vichyssoise is a cream bomb, calling for a quart of broth, 2 cups of milk, and 3 cups of cream, for eight servings. Yikes. That’s almost a half cup of cream per serving!
Our version is decidedly lighter, though still quite creamy because we use Yukon gold potatoes, which are naturally creamy potatoes (they make great mashed potatoes too).
The soup is really easy to make, doesn’t use a lot of ingredients, and lasts for days.
The trick is serving temperature. It’s great hot, though it is designed to be a chilled soup. I found the best serving temperature is just below room temp. Too cold and and the flavor from the butter, potatoes, and salt just disappears.
Vichyssoise Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 4-5 cups sliced leeks, cleaned (see How to Clean Leeks), white and pale green parts only (from about 4 large leeks)
- 1 medium onion, chopped or sliced
- 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 6 cups water (vegetarian option), or chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt (more to taste)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- Chopped fresh chives for garnish
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