Today we celebrate the birth and life of Julia Child. In honor of this marvelous woman who brought a new level of cooking to America, I present to you Chilled Leek and Potato Soup. Otherwise known as vichyssoise, Julia presented the world with a simple recipe that ends with a filling soup. So in memory of Julia Child, make this soup or just get in the kitchen and start cooking. Enjoy!

CHILLED LEEK AND POTATO SOUP: VICHYSSOISE
(Recipe from The Way to Cook, Julia Child)
“Here is the mother of the family in all her simplicity. You’ll note there’s no chicken stock here, just water, leeks, potatoes, and salt in the soup base. However, you may include chicken stock if you wish, and you may certainly include milk. A bit of cream at the end is a nourishing touch, but by no means necessary.” — Julia Child from The Way to Cook.

The Ingredients

• 4 cups diced potatoes, old or baking potatoes recommended
• 4 cups sliced leeks, white part only
• 6 to 7 cups water
• 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chives or parsley, minced

The Steps

1. Simmering the soup . Bring the leeks, potatoes and water to the boil in the saucepan.
2. Salt lightly, cover partially, and simmer 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Purée the soup if you wish. Taste, and correct seasoning.
4. After chilling the soup, you may wish to stir in a little cream. Taste carefully again, and correct the seasoning. Top each serving with a sprinkle of chives or parsley

Technorati tags: vichyssoise, Julia Child, soup, recipe, leek, potato

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 at 9:39 pm and is filed under Soup, Vegetables, Vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.