Spinach 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.

CREAM OF SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• Sauté the onion: In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion in butter for 4 minutes or until translucent.
• Build the soup: Add potatoes, chicken broth, water, and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add spinach and cook for 2 to 4 minutes longer until spinach is tender.
• Purée the soup and add the half and half: Working in batches, purée soup mixture in a blender. Return to saucepan. Whisk in half and half, salt, and pepper.
• Whisk in the sour cream: Over low heat, bring to just before simmering. Whisk in the sour cream. You may want to use an immersion blender to get the sour cream fully incorporated. This soup can be served hot or chilled. Garnish with chopped chives, sprinkles of allspice, or a dollop of sour cream.

ZUCCHINI VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a large stockpot, add the leeks, and saute over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, zucchini, chicken stock, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool for a few minutes and then process through a food mill fitted with the medium disc. Add the cream and season to taste. Serve either cold or hot, garnished with chopped chives and/or zucchini.

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.

SPINACH VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a heavy Dutch oven and add potatoes, onion, and carrot. Saute for a minute, then add 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil, add salt, and cook until vegetables are tender, about half an hour.
• Add spinach and cook a minute or two, until wilted.
• Puree in a blender or food processor or use an immersion blender. The consistency should be mealy, not quite smooth.
• Return to Dutch oven. Thin with water or milk if too thick. Stir in yogurt. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper.

VICHYSSOISE OF KUMUMOTO OYSTERS AND ROYAL STERLING CAVIAR

Steps:

• Pry open the oysters and separate the juice from the meat, reserving both in the fridge. Clean the bottom shells very well and reserve them for later.;
• To make the vichyssoise base: Heat the butter and leeks in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until the leeks are softened but not browned. Add the potatoes and water and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Chill and season with salt. Pour into a blender and puree with the cream and blanched spinach to get a light mint green color. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
• To make the mousse: Whisk the creme fraiche to soft peaks in a mixer. Heat 1/2 cup of the vichyssoise base in a medium saucepan. Add the bloomed gelatin to the base. Fold in the whipped creme fraiche and 1/2 cup more of vichyssoise base.
• To make the oyster glaze: Bring 3 tablespoons of the reserved oyster juices to a boil in a small saucepan. Strain through a coffee filter. Add the bloomed gelatin to the liquid. Let cool but not enough to set.
• To finish: Fill the 8 reserved oyster shells about 3/4 full with the vichyssoise mousse and set an oyster on top. Keep cool and brush with the still-liquid oyster glaze. Repeat the brushing until the whole oyster has a shine to it. Garnish with a quenelle of caviar, chive blossom, and dill.