Apple Vichyssoise With Bleu Cheese Recipes

CARAMELIZED APPLE-BLUE CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• In 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in sugar until it dissolves, about 20 seconds. Add apples and shallot. Cook 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture turns golden brown and aroma is reminiscent of apple cider. (Do not rush process; color takes a while to form, but the flavor is worth it.) Set aside to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix cream cheese, cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and salt until well blended. Gently stir in cooled caramelized apple mixture and the pecans. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional chopped pecans if desired. Serve with bread or crackers.

CHILLED APPLE VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• In a large pot, stir together water and sugar over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a simmer. Add 1 1/2 pounds large diced apples and cook about 15 minutes at a low simmer or until apples are very tender. Stir occasionally. Let cool.
• In another non-reactive larger pot, melt butter over medium heat and saute ginger about 3 minutes to release its flavor; don't let it burn. Stir in applesauce, white wine, brandy and heavy cream. Stir in cooked apples. Remove from burner and let everything cool to room temperature.
• In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process apple mixture with ice cream (in batches if necessary) until very smooth. Pass everything through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Discard any solids that remain in sieve. Whisk in cinnamon and yogurt and refrigerate several hours or overnight until well chilled, covering when cool. Stir well before serving. Garnish each serving with 1/4 cup fine-diced apples.

APPLE & BLUE CHEESE ON ENDIVE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and water; add apple and toss to coat. Drain and pat dry. , Combine the apple, celery, blue cheese and mayonnaise; spoon 1 tablespoonful onto each endive leaf. Sprinkle with hazelnuts.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a stockpot over medium heat. In a second stockpot over low heat, warm the chicken stock. Meanwhile, slice the white parts of the leeks in half lengthwise; then thinly slice. Trim and thinly slice celery. Add leeks and celery to the melted butter; gently sweat until translucent, 7-8 minutes, adding a pinch of salt halfway through. Make sure the vegetables do not take on any color.Meanwhile, slice potatoes lengthwise into 4 wedges, then roughly dice into 1-inch chunks. When the leeks and celery are translucent, add warmed stock, followed by the potatoes.
• Make a sachet: Lay a square of cheesecloth large enough to fit the herbs on a flat surface. Place thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and garlic in the middle; then wrap into a bundle and tie with butcher's twine. Submerge the sachet in the soup and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are soft, 15-20 minutes.
• When a fork easily pierces a potato, the soup is ready to be blended. First, remove the sachet. Then use a ladle to remove 1½ cups of broth; set aside. Carefully add the rest of the soup to a blender and cover. Blend, beginning on low speed, then slowly increasing to high speed. When the soup is pale and completely puréed, turn off the blender and add crème fraîche. Cover and continue blending on high speed to a light, smooth texture. Test the thickness, then add some of the reserved broth as necessary to thin the soup, and blend again. Set aside the remaining broth.
• Strain the soup (optional): In a large bowl filled with ice, chill a second bowl large enough to hold the soup. Strain the soup through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer into the chilled bowl; use the back of a ladle to help push the soup through the strainer. The vichyssoise will have a syrupy texture when it's warm, but it will become thicker and more velvety as it chills in the bowl. Let cool for 1 hour.
• When the vichyssoise is chilled, strain more reserved broth into the soup as needed to thin to desired consistency; stir well to combine. Ladle into a bowl. Shape quenelles of crème fraîche (optional): Pass about a tablespoon of crème fraîche back and forth between two spoons, smoothing and shaping it until you have formed an egg-shaped dollop, or "quenelle." Garnish each bowl with a quenelle of crème fraîche and several chive batons before serving.

APPLE VICHYSSOISE WITH BLEU CHEESE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan.
• Sweat the onions over low heat until they are clear and soft, but not brown.
• Add the diced apples and cook until they are soft.
• Add the wine and chicken stock and cream and bring to a simmer.
• Add the bleu cheese, to taste.
• Check the seasoning, and add salt and pepper if desired.
• Puree the soup in a blender and then refrigerate overnight or until well chilled.
• Serve chilled, top with a garnish of finely diced apples.