Silk Vichyssoise with Emerald Chive Oil and Crème Fraîche

⏱ 50 min · Serves 6

The classic chilled leek and potato soup, taken seriously: sweated slowly in butter so it stays pale, blitzed until glossy and passed through a sieve, then chilled hard and finished with a vivid green chive oil and a spoonful of tangy crème fraîche. Cool, elegant and quietly luxurious — the perfect way to open a summer dinner party.

Per serving: 455 kcal · 7.5g protein · 28.0g carbs · 35.0g fat

Ingredients

• 4 large leeks (about 800g), white and pale green parts only, sliced and washed well
• 50g unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, finely sliced
• 500g floury potatoes (Maris Piper or russet), peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 litre light chicken or vegetable stock
• 200ml whole milk
• 150ml double cream
• 1 bay leaf
• Sea salt and white pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice, to finish
• For the chive oil: 40g chives, roughly chopped
• 120ml mild olive oil or grapeseed oil
• Pinch of salt
• To serve: 120g crème fraîche
• 2 tbsp finely snipped chives
• A few drops of good extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Method

1. Melt the butter in a heavy pan over low heat. Add the leeks and onion with a good pinch of salt, cover with a lid and sweat very gently for 15 minutes, stirring now and then. Do not let them colour — pale vegetables make a pale soup.
2. Add the potatoes, stock and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 18–20 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender.
3. Meanwhile make the chive oil: blanch the chives in boiling water for 10 seconds, drain and plunge into iced water. Squeeze bone dry, then blitz with the oil and a pinch of salt for 2 minutes in a blender until bright green. Strain through a coffee filter or muslin-lined sieve into a small jug; don't press it, let it drip for clarity.
4. Remove the bay leaf from the soup. Blend the soup in batches until completely smooth — at least 90 seconds per batch — then pass through a fine sieve, pressing with a ladle. This is the step that makes it silky.
5. Stir in the milk and cream. Season generously with salt and white pepper (chilled soup needs more seasoning than you think) and add the lemon juice.
6. Cool, then chill for at least 3 hours or overnight until properly cold. Check the seasoning again once cold and loosen with a splash of cold milk if it has thickened.
7. Serve in shallow bowls: a quenelle or spoonful of crème fraîche in the centre, a spiral of chive oil around it, and a scatter of snipped chives. Finish with a drop of extra virgin olive oil if you like.