French · Starter
Vichyssoise
Ice-cold leek and potato silk with a smoky, crunchy counterpoint — a deck-lunch opener that holds beautifully in the fridge
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- Leeks, white part only, sliced — 500 g
- Floury potatoes, peeled, sliced — 350 g
- Unsalted butter — 40 g
- Vegetable stock — 900 ml
- Whole milk — 200 ml
- Double cream — 150 ml
- Fine salt — 8 g
- White pepper — 1 g
- Smoked almonds, chopped — 50 g
- Chives, sliced — 10 g
- Lemon juice — 10 ml
Method
- Sweat leeks in butter with 3 g salt over low heat 10 min — zero colour.
- Add potatoes and stock; simmer 18 min until potatoes collapse.
- Add milk, bring back to 90 °C, then blend 2 min and pass through a chinois.
- Stir in cream, remaining salt, white pepper and lemon juice.
- Chill over ice, then refrigerate at least 3 h; it should be served at 4–6 °C.
- Check seasoning cold (cold mutes salt) and loosen with milk if needed.
- Garnish with smoked almond crumble and chives.