Crème Vichyssoise Glacée
Ingredients
6 to 8 fat leeks
4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 to 8 medium white potatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup of dry white wine
3 cups heavy cream
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
White pepper to taste
Kosher or coarse sea salt to taste
Fresh chives
Preparation
Cut the green tops off the leeks and discard. Trim off the roots. Slice the leek in half lengthwise, then slice crosswise. Wash well in cool water—leeks are notorious for holding sand!
Peel the potatoes. Cut into thin slices. Hold the potatoes in cool water.
The chicken stock must be homemade. Don't used canned and don't use powdered chicken base. If you don't have homemade stock, use water.
Get out a food processor or blender and a fine sieve/strainer.
Cooking
Sauté the leeks in the butter over a low heat, stirring often, about 10 minutes or so until tender. Watch carefully so they don't brown.
Add the potatoes (drained), chicken stock, white wine (if you don't want to use wine, use water), and salt to taste (minimum 1/2 teaspoon, even if trying for a low sodium diet), and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30-40 minutes.
Strain (reserving liquid) the potatoes, then puree in the food processor or blender, using reserved liquid as needed. Mix the reserved liquid back into the puree, then strain the potato-leek mixture, pressing larger pieces of vegetables through the mesh. Repeat the straining.
Mix in two cups of the cream (if you don't want it to be wonderful, you can use two cups of half-and-half instead). Add the nutmeg (do not use the ground bottled stuff because they really taste quite differently; just delete the nutmeg if you don't have a fresh one to grate) and sprinkle in a little white pepper to taste. Don't make it spicy, just a little pepper is fine (and do not use black pepper!). Mix the soup and spices, then taste; adjust the spices to taste, remembering that it's better to slightly overseason a cold soup.
Put the soup in a bowl with a tight lid or well-covered in plastic wrap (the soup will absorb refrigerator odors if not covered) and chill overnight.
Assembly
The next day just before serving, put the remaining cup of cream (this must be cream) into a chilled bowl and whip it with a wire whisk until the cream is thickened a little bit, but don't turn it into whipped cream. Stir the cream into the soup mixture.
Ladle the soup or into nested glass cups with cracked ice underneath (I have some old shrimp cocktail glasses like this) or into chilled soup plates, snip some fresh chives (must be fresh, not freeze-dried) over the center of each bowl to garnish, then serve immediately.
Usually I will serve vichyssoise with a loaf of crusty French bread, a slab of butter over which I've drizzled a little high quality, light, extra virgin olive oil, and a bottle of crisp chardonnay or chablis. For dessert, I'll serve fresh strawberries with a little bowl of confectioner's sugar for dipping or maybe slices of fresh, ripe peaches with a little sweetened crème frâiche.
Bon appetit!
