Chilled Potato Soup Food

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Gently sweat the chopped leeks and the chopped onion in butter or margarine until soft, about 8 minutes. Do NOT let them brown.
• Add potatoes and stock to the saucepan. Salt and pepper to taste; do not overdo them! Bring to the boil, and simmer very gently for 30 minutes.
• Puree in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Cool. Gently stir in the cream before serving.

CLASSIC VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot melt butter over low heat. Add leeks and onion, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme, marjoram, bay leaf and stir well. Cover pot and continue to cook for 12 minutes.
• Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, partially covered for 30 minutes.
• Puree soup in blender or food processor and cool.
• Prior to serving add cream. If you are serving this soup warm you need to reheat the soup slowly so that the cream does not change consistency.

CHILLED KALE AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Combine beef broth, water, potato, garlic, onion, and red chile pepper in a dutch oven or large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the kale, and season with nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, until potato is tender, adding more water if necessary.
• Meanwhile, place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until slightly browned, but still tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Chop bacon, and stir into the soup until just incorporated. Simmer no more than 3 minutes. Serve chilled for at least 2 hours, topped with crushed sage leaves. Soup can also be served hot.

COLD POTATO-LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine leeks, broth, potato, 2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Working in batches, puree soup in blender, transferring it to a clean bowl as you work. (To prevent splattering, fill blender only halfway, and allow heat to escape: Remove cap from hole in lid, and cover lid firmly with a dish towel.) Stir cream into pureed soup, and season with salt.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. If necessary, thin with water, and season with salt. Serve soup in chilled glasses, garnished with chives.

CREAMY COLD POTATO SOUP (VICHYSSOISE)

Steps:

• Heat butter in dutch oven or heavy deep pan.
• Saute the leeks and onion-cook gently, stirring frequently until golden.
• Add broth and potatoes.
• Boil gently, uncovered for 30-45 minutes.
• Let cool and run through a processor until smooth.
• You may need to do this in two batches.
• Put mixture in large bowl and refrigerate.
• Chill for about 20 minutes.
• When cold stir in cream, chives salt and pepper.
• If too thick add some milk.
• Consistency should be somewhat thinner than pan cake batter.
• Serve cold.

CHILLED POTATO AND LEEK SOUP - VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine the leeks, green onions and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the vegetables have wilted and begin to soften, approximately 8 minutes.
• Add the diced potatoes and remaining 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, replace the cover and cook until vegetables are very soft, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from heat, uncover and allow the soup to stand for 15 minutes to cool slightly; stir in the butter.
• Very carefully transfer the hot vegetable mixture to blender container, puree until very smooth and in several batches if needed.
• Season with salt and pepper; allow the soup to cool to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator.
• When cool, cover and place in refrigerate until well chilled, 3 to 4 hours or serve at room temperature; adjusting seasoning if needed.
• To serve, divide into individual serving bowls and garnish with some of the reserved green onion tops that have been thinly sliced.

VICHYSSOISE: CHILLED POTATO AND LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large pot over medium-low heat add the butter.
• When melted, add the leeks and gently sweat (you don't want them to brown) until they are soft (about 5 minutes).
• Add the potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
• Simmer until potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a fork (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.
• Add the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Do this in small batches (no more than half full) as the hot soup creates pressure and can spray out.
• Return the soup to the pot and whisk in the cream. Stirring all the time, bring the soup to a boil and immediately turn down to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes and remove from heat. If the soup is too thick, add a little water or broth.
• Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper.
• Cool quickly to room temperature, cover with plastic, then refrigerate until chilled (preferably overnight).
• Just before serving, sprinkle chives over the top.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a stockpot over medium heat. In a second stockpot over low heat, warm the chicken stock. Meanwhile, slice the white parts of the leeks in half lengthwise; then thinly slice. Trim and thinly slice celery. Add leeks and celery to the melted butter; gently sweat until translucent, 7-8 minutes, adding a pinch of salt halfway through. Make sure the vegetables do not take on any color.Meanwhile, slice potatoes lengthwise into 4 wedges, then roughly dice into 1-inch chunks. When the leeks and celery are translucent, add warmed stock, followed by the potatoes.
• Make a sachet: Lay a square of cheesecloth large enough to fit the herbs on a flat surface. Place thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and garlic in the middle; then wrap into a bundle and tie with butcher's twine. Submerge the sachet in the soup and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are soft, 15-20 minutes.
• When a fork easily pierces a potato, the soup is ready to be blended. First, remove the sachet. Then use a ladle to remove 1½ cups of broth; set aside. Carefully add the rest of the soup to a blender and cover. Blend, beginning on low speed, then slowly increasing to high speed. When the soup is pale and completely puréed, turn off the blender and add crème fraîche. Cover and continue blending on high speed to a light, smooth texture. Test the thickness, then add some of the reserved broth as necessary to thin the soup, and blend again. Set aside the remaining broth.
• Strain the soup (optional): In a large bowl filled with ice, chill a second bowl large enough to hold the soup. Strain the soup through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer into the chilled bowl; use the back of a ladle to help push the soup through the strainer. The vichyssoise will have a syrupy texture when it's warm, but it will become thicker and more velvety as it chills in the bowl. Let cool for 1 hour.
• When the vichyssoise is chilled, strain more reserved broth into the soup as needed to thin to desired consistency; stir well to combine. Ladle into a bowl. Shape quenelles of crème fraîche (optional): Pass about a tablespoon of crème fraîche back and forth between two spoons, smoothing and shaping it until you have formed an egg-shaped dollop, or "quenelle." Garnish each bowl with a quenelle of crème fraîche and several chive batons before serving.

CHILLED SPINACH-POTATO SOUP WITH BUTTERMILK

Steps:

• Bring the potatoes, broth or water, and salt to a boil in a soup pot; turn down and simmer slowly for about 20 minutes.
• Add the leeks, garlic and spinach during the last 5 minutes.
• Use a food processor or hand blender to puree the soup and all the veggies until smooth. You will probably have to do this in batches in the processor.
• Transfer the soup to a container, cover tightly and chill for about 4-5 hours or overnight.
• Stir in the buttermilk just before serving and add white pepper to taste.
• Sprinkle on the fresh dill for garnish.

COLD GARLIC POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan cook the leek and the garlic with salt and pepper to taste in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the leek just begins to soften, add the potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, and the broth, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potato is very tender. In a blender purée the mixture in batches, transferring the soup as it is puréed to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Let the soup cool, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until it is cold, stir in the cream, the chives, and salt and pepper to taste, and divide the soup between 2 bowls.

POTATO LEEK SOUP (VICHYSSOISE)

Steps:

• Melt butter in soup pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and salt; cook until leeks begin to wilt. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and cook until soft and almost pastelike, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Place potatoes in the pot; add chicken broth. Adjust heat so mixture simmers slowly. Cook until potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes. Puree mixture with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Whisk in heavy cream and creme fraiche. Heat over medium heat. Add more salt, if needed, and cayenne pepper. Do not boil.
• Serve with a drizzle of creme fraiche and a sprinkle of chopped chives.