Vichyssoise soup recipe

Vichyssoise is perhaps the most famous of soups. The concept is simple; cook some leek and potato soup, stir in cream, cool the soup quickly and serve.
The history of the soup is occasionally disputed but the French chef Louis Diat (1885-1957) is generally believed to have created Vichyssoise soup

He was Chef de Cuisines for the New York Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Forty Sixth and Madison Avenue. Louis Diat was a very creative chef, responsible for publishing the first recipe for Carpetbag Steak (steak and oysters) in 1941. He has famously been quoted as saying "There are five elements: earth, air, fire, water and garlic.".

The warm version of leek and potato soup was handed down to him by his mother, Annette Diat. He frequently served up this soup in hotels around the world. Louis was in charge of the restaurant at the New York Ritz-Carlton Hotel when it was holding an opening ceremony for its new Garden Restaurant in 1917. On that day, for reasons unknown, he created the cold version of the soup, Creme Vichyssoise Glacee.

He cooked the basic potato and leek soup with water rather than chicken stock, cooled it down, swirled in some heavy cream and then topped it off with chopped chives. Creme Vichyssoise Glacee was born.

A quote direct from Louis Diat explains what happened. "... but in summer, when the soup seemed to be too hot, we asked for milk with which to cool it. Many years later it was this memory which gave me the inspiration to make the soup which I have named Creme Vichyssoise.".

However, careful examination of the Louis Diat approved recipe reveals something which contradicts his statement above. The recipe for leek and potato soup handed down to him by his mother had a chicken stock base. There is no chicken stock in the official Vichyssoise recipe. The liquid is is simply water.

This implies that the Vichyssoise recipe was not just his mother's leek and potato soup with some cream swirled in to cool it. Rather, it was a carefully thought out adaptation of the original leek and potato soup recipe. I have no proof of this, it's just an observation based on the facts.

Another variation he made to his mother's original recipe was that the soup was strained through a sieve or muslin before adding in the cream and pepper. This is another major change to the original recipe. Instead of a chunky leek and potato soup he now creates an absolutely liquid soup by straining it. The resulting soup, and we have tried both versions, is significantly different to a cold leek and potato soup with cream. Different in texture and different to taste.

No, Louis Diat's Creme Vichyssoise Glacee soup recipe was carefully considered and planned well in advance. Would one of the world's top chefs risk his reputation at a major event at the New York Ritz-Carlton with such a changed recipe without testing it out before. We think it unlikely.

When you compare the results from the original recipe with current versions, it is clear that the original recipe is far better suited to being served cold. A cool, smooth broth with lashings of cream on a summer's day is exquisite. Food processors are a great invention but they result in a soup of a different texture compared to a sieved soup.

The name Vichyssoise is from the spa town Vichy in central France, near to where Louis was born. The original recipe is given below.

CREME VICHYSSOISE GLACEE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

Ingredient Metric Imperial American

Four medium leeks trimmed 500 grams 1 lb 2 oz

Two medium potatoes 500 grams 1 lb 2 oz

Medium onion 1

Milk 420 ml ¾ pint 2 cups

Single (half and half) cream 420 ml ¾ pint 2 cups

Double (heavy) cream 210 ml Just under half a pint 1 cup

Butter 2 tbspns 2½ tbspns

Chives 1 bunch

Water 840 ml 1½ pints 4 cups

Salt 2 teaspoons

White pepper To taste

PREPARATION

Trim the leeks removing the greenery.

Cut each leek in half lengthwise then chop. Rinse the chopped leeks well.

Finely chop the onions.

Peel and cube the potatoes.

COOKING

1. Melt the butter on a medium heat, add the leeks and onion. Fry for about ten minutes stirring frequently.

2. Add the chopped potatoes, water and salt to the pan. Simmer gently for about 35 minutes until the potatoes have softened.

3. Add the milk and single (half and half) cream. Bring to the boil stirring continuously and then immediately from the heat.

4. Strain the cooked soup through a fine sieve. Do this with the underside of a spoon to push through as much of the soup as possible.

5. Stir in the double (heavy) cream and white pepper. Cool the soup, this may take up to three hours in the fridge.

6. Serve the soup in chilled cups or small bowls. Chop the chives and sprinkle a little over each serving of soup.

The above recipe will serve about 4 bowls of delicious chilled soup.

Leek and Potato Soup Recipes