Beautiful fresh leeks. Photo by LollyKnit/Flickr

In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.

My father loved to cook, but few of the recipes in his regular repertoire could really be described as "gourmet." The major exception was his vichyssoise, a cold potato-and-leek soup that he would pull out when the weather got hot and he was in the mood for something refreshing.

Of course, "refreshing" is a relative term; after eating a bowl of his rich, cream-laden soup, I would usually feel like I'd covered my lips in a thick layer of grease. While my version could hardly be described as "low fat," it uses a fraction of the heavy cream that his required and is a lot lighter on the palate. Best of all, it really lets the flavor of the leeks and potatoes shine through. Although this requires a lot of advance time, it refrigerates beautifully and makes a great summer soup!

Get the recipe for vichyssoise after the jump!

Vichyssoise

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 leeks, thinly sliced (white parts only)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 quart chicken stock or water (or a combination of both)
2 teaspoons of salt
2 cups whole milk
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup heavy cream
fresh chives

Over medium heat, saute onion and leeks in melted butter until they begin to turn golden. Add the potatoes, chicken broth and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 35 to 40 minutes, or until potatoes are completely cooked through. Allow to cool slightly, then rub mixture through a fine sieve or food processor. Return to heat.

Add the milk and the half-and-half. Season to taste (if you wish to add pepper, use white pepper). Bring to a boil. Cool the soup and sieve or process again. Refrigerate.

When the soup is cold, spoon into bowls. Garnish each serving with a tablespoon of heavy cream. Using a pair of scissors, snip chives on top and serve.

Note: This soup is very similar to Potage Parmentier, a warm potato and leek soup. If you wish, it also tastes good warm or at room temperature.