This New Year's my friend Tim and I decided to host a dinner for 4 of our close friends. Since I started a pretty crazy diet on January 1 we wanted to make it my last supper and as decadent as possible.
The meal started with fondue made from Gruyere and Emmenthaler cheeses. Then we moved on to a creamy Vichychoisse topped with Creme Fraiche and chives. For dinner our guests enjoyed broiled lobster tails, filet and buttery sauteed baby bok choy hearts with shitake mushrooms.
At the end of the meal we were thoroughly stuffed, but extremely happy. We toasted to the New Year and looked back on 2009 and all of the amazing food we had eaten. At midnight I had my last sip of Champagne and started my alcoholiday for the month of January. This day also marked a new diet plan, so over the next few months the recipes I will be posting will be much healthier, but absolutely delicious.
Back to the Vichychoisse... Usually, when I make this creamy soup I use the recipe from the Duquesne Club, but Tim wanted to try Julia Child's version. We found her recipe, but were surprised to learn that she does not use chicken stock. Nor does she saute her potatoes and leeks prior to adding in the broth. So we adjusted her recipe to suit our tastes and the result was amazing.
Here is what you will need:
- 4 cups of potatoes
- 4 cups of leeks (white parts only)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 bay leaf
- 6 cups of chicken broth (heat until close to boil or microwave for a few minutes before adding into the pot)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Creme Fraiche and chopped chives as garnish
Peel and chop the potatoes into bite size pieces. Set aside. Chop, clean and dry the leeks and set aside. Melt butter in a stock pot and saute leeks and potatoes for about 3-5 minutes over medium heat. Add bay leaf and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn heat down, cover and cook until potatoes and leeks are tender (20-25 minutes).
Using an immersion blender or regular blender, blend the soup until creamy and smooth. Add in the heavy cream. To really smooth out the soup take a strainer and strain the soup using a spatula to force it through the strainer. You'll need to do this 2-3 cups at a time being sure to remove the leftover starchy bits from the strainer before you add more soup.
Let cool to room temperature.
Ladle into bowls, top with a little bit of Creme Fraiche, garnish with chives and serve.
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