Vichyssoise mit karamellisiertem Spargel (vichyssoise with caramelised asparagus)
The classic cold leek and potato soup, served chilled, topped with green asparagus seared hard until it caramelises rather than steamed pale and soft. Vichyssoise needs a full, deliberate chill before serving, not just a quick fridge stop, since the flavours are noticeably flatter served merely cool rather than properly cold.
Christoph's vichyssoise, given a proper long chill rather than a quick one, topped with asparagus seared hard enough to caramelise instead of merely steamed.
Ingredients
Written for a 3 L pot
Soup
- 400 g leek, white and light green parts only, sliced, well rinsed rounded
- 300 g floury potatoes, peeled, in chunks rounded
- 30 g butter rounded
- 800 ml vegetable broth rounded
- 150 ml cream rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
- to taste freshly grated nutmeg rounded
Caramelised asparagus
- 250 g green asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 4 cm pieces rounded
- 15 g butter rounded
- 8 g sugar rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
- 10 g chives, sliced, for the top (optional) rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Sweat the leek with a pinch of salt for 6 minutes, until softened but not coloured.
- Add the potato and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook 25 minutes, until the potato is fully soft.
- Blend the soup completely smooth, then stir in the cream. Season with salt and nutmeg.
- Chill the soup for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Vichyssoise served merely cool rather than properly cold tastes noticeably flatter; the full chill is not optional for this dish.
- Just before serving, melt the butter in a frying pan over high heat. Add the asparagus and sprinkle with the sugar. Sear, turning occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, until deeply browned in spots and just tender.
- Season the asparagus with salt. Ladle the chilled soup into bowls, top with the warm caramelised asparagus and chives.
Method in the Thermomix
Written for a TM5 or TM6, 2.2 litre bowl. This covers the soup base; the asparagus still caramelises conventionally in a pan.
- Leek into the dry bowl. Chop 3 sec / speed 5. Add the butter. Sauté 6 min / 100°C / speed 1, measuring cup off.
- Add the potato and broth. Cook 25 min / 100°C / speed 1.
- Blend the soup smooth, 1 min / speed 9, ramping up gradually. Add the cream, mix 10 sec / speed 3. Season with salt and nutmeg.
- Chill as in the hand method.
- Caramelise the asparagus in a pan as in the hand method, and top the chilled soup with it to serve.
Notes
- Give the soup its full chilling time. Vichyssoise is built to be served cold, and its flavours read as noticeably flatter and less rounded served merely fridge-cool rather than fully chilled through.
- Sear the asparagus hard and do not stir it constantly. Constant movement steams rather than browns it, and a properly caramelised piece against a cold, smooth soup is the entire point of this version.
- The sugar in the asparagus pan helps it caramelise faster, giving deeper colour and flavour in the same short cooking time.
- The soup keeps for 3 days in the fridge; the asparagus is best cooked fresh and does not reheat with the same texture once chilled.
Ingredient substitutions
- Green asparagus can be white asparagus, though it needs peeling first and takes slightly longer to caramelise.
- Cream can be crème fraîche for a bit more tang, which suits the cold serving well.
- A drizzle of good olive oil in place of the chives is a simpler, equally traditional finish.
From Christoph Mayer