Asparagus Vichyssoise Recipes

ASPARAGUS VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Put butter or oil in a large, deep saucepan and turn heat to medium. When butter melts or oil is hot, add vegetables. If you like, set aside 12 or 16 of the nicest pieces of asparagus; parboil in salted water for about 2 minutes and use as a garnish for the soup. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add stock and cook until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. You may prepare soup in advance up to this point. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
• Purée soup in batches until very smooth. Chill. (Though vichyssoise is served cool, this soup could also be served warm.) Stir in cream, if using, taste and adjust seasoning, garnish if you like, and serve.

ASPARAGUS VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks, celery and onion. Reduce heat and cover. DO NOT ALLOW THE VEGETABLES TO COLOR. Sweat the vegetables until they are translucent. Add the potatoes and the stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to simmer lightly until the potatoes are very soft. Add the asparagus and cook only until the asparagus is tender. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Using a blender, puree until smooth. Chill.
• Before serving remove from the refrigerator and stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with reserved cooked asparagus tips.

ASPARAGUS VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• 1. Peel and dice 1 potato and clean and slice 3 medium leeks. Sweat in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until translucent. 2. Add 3 cups of chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook until potato is soft. 3. Add 1 pound of asparagus and cook 3 to 5 minutes, depending on their thickness; they should be just tender. 4. Transfer mixture to blender. Puree until just smooth, but take care: Over blending can turn the potato gluey. (For more control, use a strainer or food mill instead.) 5. Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. 6. Chill for at least 3 hours. 7. Garnish with a small dollop of whipped cream, a sprinkle of lemon zest, and a few paper-thin slices of raw asparagus

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; add leeks and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes, broth, and 1 cup water; season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Working in batches, transfer mixture to a blender and purée until smooth, adding more liquid as needed. Transfer to a large bowl; whisk in 1 cup cream, milk, and nutmeg; season with salt.
• Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup cream, then ladle into bowls and serve drizzled with more cream. Sprinkle with chives and pepper before serving.

CLASSIC VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot melt butter over low heat. Add leeks and onion, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme, marjoram, bay leaf and stir well. Cover pot and continue to cook for 12 minutes.
• Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, partially covered for 30 minutes.
• Puree soup in blender or food processor and cool.
• Prior to serving add cream. If you are serving this soup warm you need to reheat the soup slowly so that the cream does not change consistency.

ASPARAGUS VICHYSSOISE WITH MINT

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and potato; sauté 2 minutes. Add broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add asparagus. Simmer uncovered until asparagus is just tender, 5 to 6 minutes (depending on thickness of stalks). Remove pan from heat. Transfer 8 asparagus tips to small bowl for garnish.
• Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide soup among 4 shallow bowls. Freeze 15 to 20 minutes to chill quickly.
• Meanwhile, whisk cream, mint, and large pinch of salt in small bowl until cream is slightly thickened.
• Drizzle mint cream over soup, then garnish with asparagus tips.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in the pressure cooker pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, celery leaves and 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring often, until soft, approximately 8 minutes. If the leeks start to brown during this process, reduce the heat.
• Drain the potato pieces and add to the pot along with the simmering chicken broth. Clamp on the cooker's lid, (according to the manufacturer's instructions) and bring to full pressure over high heat.
• Once pressure is attained (there will be a loud whistle) back the heat down to medium-low, just maintaining a hissing of steam for 8 minutes.
• Kill the heat and release the steam pressure by opening the dump valve or setting the cooker under cold, running water. When the lid can be removed, carefully transfer the mixture to a blender carafe. (If the mixture fills your carafe more than two-thirds full, work in two batches!)
• Top the carafe with the main lid but remove the center lid so that air can escape as it heats and expands. Cover the lid tightly with a tea towel and blend on low for 1 minute before slowly increasing the speed to smoothly puree the potatoes. (Although you want to increase the speed slowly, try not to puree the potatoes too long as they could become gummy.)
• Transfer the mixture back to the pot and whisk in the cream. Stir in the white pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning (I always need the rest of the salt). Chill thoroughly then serve garnished with a small spoonful of the roe and dill fronds.
• Tightly covered, the vichyssoise will keep a week in the refrigerator. The soup can also be frozen in ice-cube trays then kept in freezer bags for up to three months.

ANTHONY BOURDAIN'S LES HALLES VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• I a large, heavy bottom pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Once butter is melted, add the leeks and sweat for 5 minutes, making sure they do not take on any color.
• Add potatoes and cook for a minute or two, stirring a few times.
• Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook on low heat, gently simmering for 35 minutes, or until the leeks and potatoes are very soft. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
• Slowly, and in SMALL batches, puree the soup at a high speed in the blender. Do this bit by bit, never filling the blender too high. Make sure the benders lid is on, and lean on the top when you turn on. If not the burn you will get is awful, and a most frequent accident in even professional kitchens.
• Return soup to the cooking pot and whisk in cream and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Return to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook 5 minutes. If you want to thin soup out, add more broth, if needed.
• Transfer soup to the mixing bowl an chill over the ice bath, stirring occasionally. When soup is at Room temperature, and only at room temperature, cover in plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator to cool.
• Check seasoning, sprinkle with chives and serve in chilled bowls.
• This soup DOES get better over time. Keep covered with plastic, not foil in the refrigerator, or it will pick up other tastes.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot.
• Add 3 peeled and cubed potatoes and 3 trimmed and chopped leeks.
• Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until softened.
• Add 4 cups stock. Boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Purée, then let cool. Stir in 1/2 cup or more cream before serving.
• Garnish with chopped chives.