SERVES:4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Julia Child thought so highly of potato-leek soup that she made it her very first recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The satiny texture of her soup is due in no small part to the fact that it calls for a food mill rather than a blender to puree it. But most of us don’t own a food mill, so how do we achieve a simple, delicious soup that doesn’t turn gluey in the blender from the potato starch? Some recipes try to compensate by adding lots of cream, but this dulls the leek flavor. In the test kitchen, we tried using waxy potatoes, which have less starch than russets, but their flavor and texture were too distinct. That starch that can turn gluey is also what thickens the soup, so one russet potato worked best. To avoid adding cream, we turned to the thickening power of bread. Voilà: Like Julia’s recipe, this soup “smelled good, tasted good, and was simplicity itself to make.” Don’t fill the blender more than two-thirds with hot soup; if necessary, process in batches. Or use an immersion blender to process the soup directly in the pot. Use the lowest setting on your toaster to dry out the bread without overbrowning it. Garnish this soup with crisp bacon bits, a dollop of sour cream, chopped fresh chives, or croutons.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds leeks, white and light green parts halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly; dark green parts halved, cut into 2-inch pieces, and washed thoroughly
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 small russet potato (6 ounces), peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme or tarragon
- 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, lightly toasted and torn into ½-inch pieces
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Bring dark green leek pieces, broth, and water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; set aside. Discard solids in strainer and rinse out saucepan.
- Melt butter in now-empty saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in sliced white and light green leeks, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
- Increase heat to high, stir in reserved broth, potato, bay leaf, and herb sprig and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Add bread and simmer until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes.
- Discard bay leaf and herb sprig. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return soup to clean saucepan and bring to simmer; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
