Saffron Vichyssoise Food

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.

ZUCCHINI AND SAFFRON VICHYSSOISE WITH SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Thinly julienne zucchini lengthwise with slicer, working around core, into 1/4-inch-thick ribbons. Cut zucchini cores into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Cook onion in butter in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, garlic, and saffron and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, bay leaf, and thyme and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add chopped zucchini cores and simmer, uncovered, until zucchini is very tender, about 8 minutes.
• Purée soup in batches in a blender until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and pour through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in cream, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, then cool to room temperature, uncovered. Chill soup, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
• While soup is chilling, cook julienned zucchini in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 30 seconds, then drain and transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper and chill, covered.
• Before serving soup, cut each scallop horizontally into 3 rounds and pat dry. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear scallops until golden brown, 20 to 30 seconds on each side, and season with salt.
• Serve soup with zucchini mounded in center, topped with scallop rounds.

BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• Add saffron to sherry set aside.
• Cut fish into bite size pieces.
• Scrub clams and mussels.
• In a large stock pot heat oil. Saute onions, shallots, carrot, fennel, and garlic in oil on low heat until lightly golden.
• Add all liquids and seasonings including the saffron infused sherry.
• Bring to just a boil. Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add all seafood adding squid last, mix and simmer 10 minutes.
• Serve hot in large bowls.
• Top with garnishes.
• Serve with crusty bread, and a tossed salad.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot.
• Add 3 peeled and cubed potatoes and 3 trimmed and chopped leeks.
• Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until softened.
• Add 4 cups stock. Boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Purée, then let cool. Stir in 1/2 cup or more cream before serving.
• Garnish with chopped chives.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; add leeks and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes, broth, and 1 cup water; season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Working in batches, transfer mixture to a blender and purée until smooth, adding more liquid as needed. Transfer to a large bowl; whisk in 1 cup cream, milk, and nutmeg; season with salt.
• Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup cream, then ladle into bowls and serve drizzled with more cream. Sprinkle with chives and pepper before serving.

AVOCADO VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot
• Add 3 peeled and cubed potatoes and 3 trimmed and chopped leeks
• Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until softened.
• Add 4 cups stock. Boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes
• Stir in the coarsely chopped flesh of 1 or 2 avocados before puréeing
• Purée, then let cool.
• Garnish: Chopped cilantro

SAFFRON VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• In a heavy kettle cook the leek, the onion, the celery, the carrots, the thyme, the bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Add the potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, the saffron, the wine, the broth, and the water and simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. Discard the bay leaf and in a blender purée the soup in batches, transferring the soup as it is puréed to a large bowl. Stir in the half-and-half and salt and pepper to taste, let the soup cool, and chill it for at least 8 hours or overnight.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Put the leeks, potatoes, celery and onions in a pot. Add mineral water to cover and season with salt and pepper. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer until very tender. Puree and strain into a glass bowl. Thin with the cream, and with more liquid if needed. Let cool, then chill.
• Before serving, thin the soup to the desired consistency with more water or milk. (You can also use chicken stock, but if you're trying to be vegetarian, then obviously don't.) Check the seasonings. Serve sprinkled with chives.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
• Add the leeks, lower the heat and gently fry without browning.
• Add the potatoes, and mix well.
• Add water and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil and cook over low to medium heat for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
• Drain the leeks and potatoes but reserve the cooking water.
• Pass the vegetables through a potato masher.
• Add a ladle of the cooking water and the cream. Whisk well, then strain everything through a strainer.
• Pour the filtered Vichyssoise into the pot, place it on a medium heat and bring it to the boil while continuing to whisk.
• Remove from the heat as soon as it comes to a boil and let cool to room temperature.
• Place the vichyssoise in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary before serving.
• Pour the vichyssoise into bowls and sprinkle with chopped chives

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in the pressure cooker pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, celery leaves and 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring often, until soft, approximately 8 minutes. If the leeks start to brown during this process, reduce the heat.
• Drain the potato pieces and add to the pot along with the simmering chicken broth. Clamp on the cooker's lid, (according to the manufacturer's instructions) and bring to full pressure over high heat.
• Once pressure is attained (there will be a loud whistle) back the heat down to medium-low, just maintaining a hissing of steam for 8 minutes.
• Kill the heat and release the steam pressure by opening the dump valve or setting the cooker under cold, running water. When the lid can be removed, carefully transfer the mixture to a blender carafe. (If the mixture fills your carafe more than two-thirds full, work in two batches!)
• Top the carafe with the main lid but remove the center lid so that air can escape as it heats and expands. Cover the lid tightly with a tea towel and blend on low for 1 minute before slowly increasing the speed to smoothly puree the potatoes. (Although you want to increase the speed slowly, try not to puree the potatoes too long as they could become gummy.)
• Transfer the mixture back to the pot and whisk in the cream. Stir in the white pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning (I always need the rest of the salt). Chill thoroughly then serve garnished with a small spoonful of the roe and dill fronds.
• Tightly covered, the vichyssoise will keep a week in the refrigerator. The soup can also be frozen in ice-cube trays then kept in freezer bags for up to three months.

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.

CARROT VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Add carrots and leeks and cook until leeks are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
• Mix in potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon thyme.
• Add stock and vermouth; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
• Puree soup in batches (or use an immersion blender) in processor or blender;return to saucepan.
• Add cream, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
• (can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.).
• Stir over medium heat until warmed through.
• Garnish with minced fresh thyme and serve.