I can take no credit for this recipe. I got it from my mother, who got it by bribing her favorite waiter from the Chef at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan where we enjoyed it growing up. I recently found out that they in turn got it from the Ritz as it is apparently Escoffier's original recipe.
My only contribution, besides making it and taking the photo above, is to have adapted my mom's recipe for home consumption before transcribing it. The original recipe made a swimming pool of this stuff and, even with my work on reducing portion sizes, you will still end up with a vat of rich soup, about 10 -12 portions worth.
That being said, it is really good.
2 leeks, white parts only, chopped 1/3 medium white onion, diced 1 1/2 Tbsps butter 2 medium potatoes peeled and diced 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade is best for this) 1 tsp salt (seems like a lot but you will need it to register through the unsalted broth, the potato, the milk and cream which are all rather bland) 1 cup milk 2/3 cup heavy cream chives for garnish
Melt the butter in a stock pot over medium heat. As soon as it has melted, add the potatoes, leeks and the onion. Stir to combine and cook until the leeks and onions have started to soften.
Add the chicken stock and the salt. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and falling apart when pierced with a fork.
Blend into a very smooth soup and refrigerate until cold.
Prior to eating, add the milk and the cream and blend again to ensure as velvety a soup as possible.
Taste and add more salt if needed, and more milk/cream if you find the mixture a bit too thick for your taste.
Serve cold in chilled bowls. Top with some chopped chives.
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