Julia Child's Favorite Soup Was A Hearty Classic

Julia Child, one of the world's greatest chefs, is known to have dined on her own French onion soup as her last meal. The relationship between Child and soup cannot be overstated. Her recipes for garlic soup (aigo bouido), cream of watercress, and cucumber soup all share common threads: Simple components and no-nonsense instructions, leaning on competence and technique, cornerstones of French cooking. 

Child's favorite soup is no different. She said that the potato and leek soup known as vichyssoise "tasted good and smelled good," according to Taste of Home, which is a strikingly matter-of-fact endorsement. Who could ask for more from a delicious meal?

The beauty of vichyssoise is in its startling restraint: It uses a very short list of humble ingredients that, when combined, produce something savory, refreshing, and filling all at the same time. It is also known as potage parmentier in French. If you are getting a little panicky over which name is less difficult to pronounce, here's a little hint: Vichyssoise is easy to say, like so: Vee-SHE-swahz. Turns out that it isn't all that hard to cook, either.

The ingredients for vichyssoise are very simple: Potatoes, leeks, chicken stock, heavy cream, chives, salt, and white pepper. Leeks can admittedly be a little tricky, since you need a solid method to get all the gritty sand out. Once you do, however, you are rewarded with the subtle flavor of onion, albeit not as pungent. But honestly, the leeks are as complicated as it gets. After simmering the chopped and prepared potatoes and leeks in the stock for about an hour, the mixture is pulsed with an immersion blender and seasoned with the salt, pepper, and chives. End of story. Child felt that even the finishing cream could be extraneous, although she conceded that it was "nourishing," as reported by Southern Living.

If you've had vichyssoise, however, you get the point. Tasting the soup, every flavor comes through singing in its own way: The heartiness of the potatoes, the mild sharpness of the leeks, and the earthiness of the white pepper. The salt brings every supporting character into focus, and the chives give an impression of garlic without hitting you over the head with it. It's the freshness of springtime in a bowl. 

Now that you can concoct — and pronounce! — vichyssoise, go forth and spread the good word of cold soup. For the road, consider a soup-eating etiquette tip that will help you enjoy any and all soups without looking like a buffoon: Scoop your spoon away from yourself, and thank Child for introducing you to her fave.