Vichyssoise

A thick and creamy soup that is served chilled. Typically made from potatoes, leeks, chicken stock, onions, milk, and thickened with a cream base (half and half or heavy cream), Vichyssoise is often considered to be of French origin, which is not totally accurate. It is the city of New York that is credited with the beginning of this soup, when it was created by a French chef working at the Ritz Hotel in New York who provided the ingredients that were common in French cooking. It may have occurred by accident that the soup was served chilled, since it was a novel way to present it and was unlike similar French soups made during the early 1900's. Vichyssoise is a rich soup that can be very filling and is often compared or confused with a similar warm version of Vichyssoise known as Potato Parmentier.