Make Ahead

Leek Vichyssoise

December  4, 2015
5
2 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes 2 1/2 quarts
Author Notes

Adapted from The President's Own White House Cookbook. —Samantha Weiss Hills

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 leeks, sliced paper thin
  • 1 medium onion, sliced paper thin
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 4 large red potatoes
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • sour cream and chopped chives, for garnish
Directions
  1. In a large saucepan, cook the leeks and onion in the butter until soft, but not brown.
  2. While the leeks and onions cook, peel and slice the potatoes to about 1/4 inch thick. Boil the slices for 10 minutes, strain, and add them to the leek and onion mixture.
  3. Add the vegetable stock to the saucepan. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and cool, then sieve or puree the soup until smooth.
  5. Return the soup to the heat and stir in the milk, cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Bring slowly to a boil, and then remove from the heat. Cool for about 10 minutes and then blend or sieve a second time.
  6. Serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped chives.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

1 Review

Elena M. March 26, 2023
This was totally stunning. Made it with 2 very large Leeks and 2 small heads of green garlic. Swapped turnips for the potatoes, so didn't need to cook them beforehand, making this even easier. Also added some thyme and tarragon, opting for a more fresh palate since I couldn't find my nutmeg. All around brilliant early spring soup!