Cold or Warm Vichyssoise with green peas

Explore a creative twist on the classic French potato and leek soup with our Vichyssoise with green peas recipe. It's a refreshing and elegant dish that combines the traditional creaminess with sweet, green peas. This version of Vichyssoise is topped with fresh shrimp, a dollop of crème fraiche, homemade herb oil and a finishing touch of either black or red seaweed caviar.

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You will need

1 oz butter

9 oz (about 3 1/4 cups) leeks, washed and thinly sliced

0,9 oz (about 1/4 cup) finely chopped shallots

2, 50 oz (about 3/4 cup) finely chopped yellow onion

3 cloves garlic, peeled and grated

9 oz (about 2 1/4 cups) firm potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 1/2 cube vegetable broth

1 cup water

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp thyme

½ - 1 tsp Pul biber

A pinch of nutmeg

3 cups green peas, thawed

1 ¼ - 1 ¾ cups of heavy cream

Topping

1/5 cup crème fraiche

Herb oil

Dill

Peeled shrimp

Black or red seaweed caviar or other type of caviar

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How to make it

1. Heat a pot and add butter. Reduce the heat to medium and add leeks, shallots, yellow onion, and garlic. Sauté while stirring for about 15 minutes so that the onions soften without taking color.

1 oz butter

9 oz (about 3 1/4 cups) leeks, washed and thinly sliced

0,9 oz (about 1/4 cup) finely chopped shallots

2, 50 oz (about 3/4 cup) finely chopped yellow onion

3 cloves garlic, peeled and grated

2. Add potatoes and sauté while stirring for a minute.

9 oz (about 2 1/4 cups) firm potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

3. Crumble the broth cubes, add water, salt, black pepper, thyme, nutmeg and Pul biber. Bring to a boil and let the soup simmer for about 30–40 minutes without a lid.

1 1/2 cube vegetable broth

1 cup water

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp thyme

A pinch of nutmeg

½ - 1 tsp Pul biber

4. Add peas and possibly more water and bring to a boil. Let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes. The potatoes and peas should be soft. It’s important that the soup is not too runny. It should have a puree-like consistency.

3 cups green peas, thawed

Some additional water if needed

5. Remove the soup from the heat and let it cool slightly before it is blended smooth in a food processor or blender along with some of the cream. Blend the soup in batches so that it becomes really smooth.

Part of 1 ¼ - 1 ¾ cups of heavy cream

6. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure that it is really smooth. It may need to be pressed through with the help of a ladle. Discard the small vegetable pieces that remain in the sieve.

7. Pour the soup back into the pot and add the remaining cream. Bring to a boil and let the soup simmer on low medium heat for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust with thyme, pul biber, salt and pepper.

The remains of 1 ¼ - 1 ¾ cups of heavy cream

8. Serve the soup either hot or cold. If it is to be served cold, it should stand in the fridge for a few hours before serving. For a thinner soup, dilute with a little milk or broth.

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Topping

1. Drizzle sour cream or stirred crème fraiche and herb oil in a nice pattern over the surface.

2. Top the soup with some shrimp.

3. Add a dollop of caviar and a dill sprig.

Serve the soup with some nice bread or bread croutons.

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Tip 1: Save the potato skins and put them in cold water in the fridge until they are really cold. Strain off the water and dry the peels with a paper towel. Fry them in oil in batches until they become crispy. Drain them on paper towels. Sprinkle with flake salt or even better truffle salt immediately. When all the skins are deep-fried, you can sprinkle the chips with a little truffle oil and some grated parmesan cheese and mix around.

Tip 2: Save the dark green part of the leek and chop finely and use them in a Leek- and basil pesto (see separate recipe for Leek- and basil pesto).