Vichyssoise mit karamellisiertem Spargel (vichyssoise with caramelised asparagus)
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
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
Method
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.