Crème Vichyssoise
By cookism
For the uninitiated, drinking cold soup might prove to be a culture shock. But a sip of the delicious crème vichyssoise and it might just change your mind. Rich, silky, but surprisingly light, this soup perfect both as a warm or a cool starter, and is versatile enough to complement a variety of toppings, which we’ve picked two of our favourites for your enjoyment.
- 4
Ingredients
- For the soup:
- 400 g leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced (about 2 to 3 leeks)
- 150 g onion, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 large onion)
- 150 g potato, peeled and chopped (about 1 potato)
- 350 ml chicken stock
- 350 ml water
- 25 g butter
- 150 ml whipping cream
- Salt, to taste
- Toppings and garnish for hot soup:
- 12 scallops
- 4 tbsp caviar
- A sprig of dill, for garnish
- Croutons, to serve
- OR
- 4 poached eggs for cold soup
Preparation
Step 1
1. Mix chicken stock and water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, in a separate pot over medium high heat, melt butter and add in the leeks and onions. Cook and stir constantly for 10 minutes until tender, then stir in the potatoes. Next, pour in the hot stock mixture, stir well and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Add cream and cook for a further five minutes. Season the soup with salt to taste, then tip it into a blender and blitz till smooth. For silky smooth soup, pass it through a fine sieve. Hot soup can now be served, but if you prefer to have a cold soup, cover and leave it to chill in the refrigerator before serving. You can enjoy the soup just as it is with simple garnishing or try our pairings for hot and cold versions of the soup.
3. For the hot version, we like to enjoy the soup with scrumptious scallops and caviar. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Season the scallops with salt and place them in the pan when it is really hot. Depending on the thickness of the scallops, fry for about 1 to 1 ½ minutes until golden at the edges on each side. Place three scallops in each serving bowl. Top each scallop with a teaspoon of caviar and dill. Carefully pour in the hot soup and garnish with croutons.
4. For the cold version, simply serve it with a poached egg and dill.