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Watercress Buttermilk Vichyssoise
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5 from 2 votes

Watercress and Buttermilk Vichyssoise

The prep and cook time do not include time to chill the soup in the refrigerator. Recipe makes 4 ½ cups.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: French
Keyword: chilled soup, cucumber soup with watercress, soup
Servings: 4
Calories: 239.8kcal
Author: Susan Pridmore

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup finely diced sweet onion
  • ½ cup thinly sliced leeks – white and very very light green parts only
  • 2 cups thinly sliced Yukon potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 2 cups vegetarian broth
  • 3 bunches watercress leaves and stems chopped (about 6 cups, chopped)
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
  • pinch kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon lime juice or to taste

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat - I use my Le Creuset for this. Add the onion and leeks and reduce the heat to medium-low. Put a lid on the pot and cook the onions and leeks until soft - about 15 minutes. At this level of heat, it's more sweating than sautéing - be careful not to brown!
  • Add the potatoes and garlic. Replace the lid to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Add the broth and watercress, and bring to barely a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, and pour the soup into a blender. I use my Ninja blender for this. Purée the soup and pass through a food mill if desired. The food mill will ensure that any stems remaining are removed.
  • Stir in the buttermilk, salt and pepper. The soup may taste under salted, but when chilled it will be fine. Chill for a few hours or ideally overnight before serving.
  • Whip together the mascarpone cheese, salt and lime juice with a small whisk or fork. Drop a ½ teaspoon dollop of cheese on each soup shooter.

Nutrition

Calories: 239.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 30.3g | Protein: 5.5g | Fat: 11.2g | Saturated Fat: 6.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 29.1mg | Sodium: 1422.9mg | Potassium: 654.9mg | Fiber: 3.2g | Sugar: 7.3g | Vitamin A: 841.7IU | Vitamin C: 27.4mg | Calcium: 113.5mg | Iron: 1.3mg