Chilled Asparagus Vichyssoise Recipe

This smooth vichyssoise is a rich, creamy soup usually made with a combo of potatoes and sweet sautéed leeks. It's a sophisticated French soup that tastes great. And it's deceptively simple to master thanks to this recipe from recipe developer Sher Castellano.

Vichyssoise, she explains, "is traditionally a soup served cold," which means this verdant version made with seasonal spring asparagus is the perfect appetizer to wake up your palate on the first warm days of the season. The asparagus is added only for the last five minutes of cooking, which means that it retains its bright color and infuses the soup with its nutty aroma.

Served simply with a slice of crusty French bread and a dusting of freshly minced chives, this soup a delightful way to make any meal feel like a special occasion. Give it a try with this simple recipe, and serve it the next time you have guests over.

To make this asparagus vichyssoise, you will begin with sweet leeks, which will form the aromatic base of the soup. Leeks are an allium — a member of the onion family — but they are milder than their cousins and therefore won't outshine the delicate flavor of the asparagus. Cooked in butter and deglazed with a bit of apple cider vinegar, the leeks are joined by potatoes, vegetable broth, and, of course, asparagus. Seasoned with fine sea salt and black pepper and garnished with a second allium — chives — this soup is ready to be enjoyed.

To make this asparagus vichyssoise, you'll begin with the leeks — and before you start cooking, you'll want to wash them. Leeks' layers have a tendency to trap sand and grit, which are far from sought-after ingredients for this silky smooth soup!

To wash the leeks, first split them lengthwise into quarters, and then rinse well between each leaf. Lop off the dark green part, reserving only the white and light green, and slice them thinly.

At this point, the leeks are ready to be cooked. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat, and then add in the butter and leeks. Sauté for 5 minutes, then deglaze with the apple cider vinegar, which, Castellano notes, "brings brightness to the dish." Stir with a wooden spoon to bring up the fond — the browned, caramelized bits on the bottom of the pot — that will add even more flavor to the finished soup.

Once the base is cooked, it's time to add the other ingredients to this asparagus vichyssoise.

The potato, broth, salt, and pepper join the party first. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for five minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. This step ensures that the potatoes are creamy and soft in the finished dish but that the asparagus retains its bright color.

Speaking of which, it's time to add this asparagus vichyssoise's headliner: the asparagus! First, trim the woody ends, which Castellano notes could be astringent or bitter. Cut the asparagus into one-inch pieces and add them to the pot, cooking for five minutes more, or until tender.

When both the potatoes and asparagus are tender, it's time to blend the cream into the asparagus vichyssoise. Before adding the cream to the pot, first remove it from the heat. This, Castellano notes, will "keep the cream flavor rich." With the cream added, simply blend the soup in small batches until smooth.

To get the smoothest texture possible, there's one more step: passing the blended soup through a fine mesh sieve, which will remove any fibrous bits of asparagus that remain. Discard any pulp, and the resulting soup will be rich and silky smooth.

Before serving the asparagus vichyssoise, there's one more essential step: chilling it. Transfer the soup to a bowl and refrigerate for two hours. Since salt is less perceptible on the palate when food is cold, before serving, you may want to give the soup a taste and season with a pinch more.

Portion the soup and drizzle with a touch of cream. Garnish with fresh chives and black pepper, and enjoy the soup on its own or with crusty French bread to scoop every last drop from the bottom of your bowl!