Violette Vichyssoise

Krystina, Uncorked:

1. I spend entirely too much time in a plaza by my campus that has both a Whole Foods and a Barnes and Noble. In fact, I'm in Barnes and Noble typing this now.

2. Sometimes I pretend to listen to music on my blackberry so that I can listen to people's conversations without them realizing it. For some reason I feel sneakier that way.

3. I carry around a legal pad wherever I go so I can jot down recipe ideas. It comes in handy at, say, 9:00AM when I'm in class and have a sudden craving for broccoli.

4. I drink a cup of green tea every night after dinner. I swear it helps me digest, even if it doesn't.

5. Sometimes I pull out a French dictionary and look up random words, write them down, and repeat them to myself until I memorize them.

6. I love purple food. You name it, plums, purple onions, cabbage, potatoes - I love it all. Don't even get me started on the purple asparagus I saw at Trader Joe's.

In sticking with my love of purple food and apparently the French language, I bring you my own spin on a Julia Child classic: vichyssoise.


Violette vichyssoise
Adapted from Julia Child

Ingredients
- 2 purple potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2-3 leeks, whites only
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp (non-dairy) cream
- 1/2 tbsp chives, for garnish
- Sea salt, to taste

Instructions
- Bring potatoes, leeks and water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes.
- Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Blend soup until smooth, and chill until ready to serve. Stir in cream and garnish with freshly snipped chives; enjoy with a glass of crisp white wine.

Serves one (or 2 as a starter)


This came together so quickly but tasted like it took hours to make. It's a rich, decadent and velvety soup, so much so that you wouldn't believe the simplicity of the ingredients. Plus, is it not the most stunningly colored soup you've ever seen? Seriously, take another look.




Très bon.

Vichyssoise