Soup's On: Julia Child's Potato Leek Soup Spun

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” ~Julia Child

She is a classic, without a doubt. Julia Child brought the home kitchen to a new level with her love of cooking, her personal flare and her cookbooks.

Last winter, as a homage to Ms. Child, I made her famous Potato Leek Soup, Potage Parmentier. I was expecting a hefty grocery list as I was searching for the recipe and then I read: potatoes, leeks, water, salt, cream (or butter) and parsley. Huh? This puzzled me. I had heard marvelous things about this soup. "All you need is a loaf of bread to go with it." "Perfect cold night soup."

I get it. There is something you do in the preparation of the soup, right? That has to be it.

Wait. What? There are only three steps?!? EPIPHANY.

Let the ingredients sing for themselves and they will. I made it. We loved it. It was that simple.

Being me, I wanted to give it a little spin. Just a little though. It was so good as it was. First, I changed it to chicken broth instead of water and as a result, cut the salt in half. When serving I added a dollop of sour cream and a light sprinkling of Parmesan. If I had chives, I would have added them and it would have been perfection. For the kiddos, I added the dollop of sour cream, the sprinkle of Parmesan and then I scattered about 20 of Annie's Cheddar Bunnies to frolick around the bowl. My sweet ones will do anything for Cheddar Bunnies.

For the kiddos

Here is my discovery and where you should make the call based on how daring your family is with what you serve them. When you are slicing the leeks, definitely use the white parts, if your family will dig into a bowl of green soup, head into the tender parts of the green. The flavor is fabulous.

If you are on a budget, this soup with a homemade loaf of French bread and a simple green salad will fill the tummies 'round your table and allow you to splurge on another night's meal.

Affordable. Filling. Flavorful. How can you beat it?

“The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit. ”

Atta girl Julia.
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Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups leeks, thinly sliced, use the tender greens if you have a willing audience
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/2 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons whipping cream

Optional Toppings:
Sour cream
Chives
Grated Parmesan
Cheddar Bunnies

Procedure:
1) Simmer potatoes, leeks, broth, water and salt together, partially covered, 40-50 minutes.
2) Use immersion blender to purée soup. If you use a standing blender, blend in multiple batches.
3) Off heat and just before serving, stir in cream. Pour into a tureen or soup bowls and decorate with the optional toppings.

And of course, one final Julia-ism...

“If you're afraid of butter, use cream.”

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