Sunday, June 7, 2009

A different way of being creative…

I have a thing for magazines…especially cooking and art ones…I love to look through the cooking ones while I am waiting in the line at the grocery store…if I find a recipe that I must have, then I buy it…it was the Vichyssoise recipe that made me buy the latest Fine Cooking magazine…that and the crab cake cook-off article…and the article on searing, braising and glazing on the barbeque…

Vichyssoise has always been one of my favourite summer soups…sipping spoonfuls of this silky smooth cold soup brings memories of my childhood flooding back…I had a wonderful childhood…filled with family fun, friends and adventures with my horse when I took off into the back fields and woods of the farm I grew up on…

When I was young, Mom would buy a frozen version of Vichyssoise...how easy is that?!…if I remember correctly, it came packaged like frozen juice and you added milk or cream to it…I think Campbell’s Soup made it…and it was delicious! We had a huge clump of chives in the garden that we would grab a handful of and cut onto the soup…

Cariño has made this before…but since he has been back at school, his soup-making days are few and far between for now…so I decided to try my hand at it…

Here is my adaptation of the recipe from the magazine…I used 1% instead of whole milk and 10% cream instead of heavy cream, I also reduced the amount of salt and used more leeks…I think the straining it through the sieve (actually you have to really coax it – I used a wooden spoon) is really important for getting the silky texture…

Vichyssoise

• 4-5 medium leeks – use the white part and a bit of the light green, cut in half and wash, then slice 1/8 inch thick – need about 4 cups (generous)
• 4-6 medium yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled, cut in half and sliced 1/8 inch thick – need about 4 cups (generous)
• 2 cups 1% milk
• 2 cups water
• Salt
• 1 cup 10% cream
• Chives, for garnish

Put the leeks, potatoes and milk and water in a big pot and heat over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
Lower the heat to medium-low and add 1 teaspoon salt.
Simmer for about 20 minutes – until the potatoes fall apart when you stick a fork in them.
Remove from the heat and add the cream.
Let sit in the pot for a little while to cool, then, a bit at a time, puree the soup in a blender.
After pureeing, strain the soup through a fine sieve.
Let the soup cool to room temperature, stirring every so often to keep a skin from forming.
Once cooled to room temperature, refrigerate until cold.
Serve with chives cut over top.

Serves about 6 one cup servings

I have been painting a bit too...here are the next 3 for the Alphabet project...like the quilt blocks that I did, I find doing these calming and meditative...



































5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That all sounds really yummy, mummy!

The only cold soup i've ever had was in France and it wasa horrible. Cucumber soup, cold, and too much of it can turn you unfortunately off these kinds of things like cold soup. But i'm willing to try yours, I think I might even make it today for dinner.

Love you!!!
-Mandara

Leah said...

the recipe sounds delish!! and i'm loving the letter j you created. very cool.

Tamarak said...

Hey my anonymous daughter!!!

Did you trie making the soup...do you have a blender?

I have never had cold cucumber soup...hmmmm...cucumber sandwiches, yes...they are yummy...but not sure about the soup!

Thanks, Leah...try the soup...it is sooooo good!

Tamarak said...

How about 'try' instead of 'trei'!!!

Tamarak said...

Please note that today – June 29, 2009 – (I made the soup again today and realized my omission)…I edited the recipe…I had forgot to say anything about the 2 cups of water!!!

Sorry :)