Sunday Dinner: 1950s Broiled Steak and Vichysoisse

Menu: broiled T-bone steaks
vichysoisse
crisp green salad with French

It was such an elegant 1950s meal.  I didn't intend to broil the steaks, but there was just enough gas left in the grill to turn it on and that was it, as I discovered just before dinner.  I turned to my 1954 Joy of Cooking for help.  I really have not been following recipes recently - only using them for ideas.  What I did was heat the oven to 350, then turn the broiler on high.  I laid the steaks on a rimmed baking sheet and broiled them for 5 minutes a side.  They were tender and absolutely delicious.

And so was the vichysoisse.  I wasn't crazy about it last year - I hope I can repeat this version again. 

Again, I used a recipe for the idea only.  What I did, loosely:
1.  Saute leeks in butter.
2.  Add chopped potatoes, roughly the same quantity as leeks.  Saute a little.  (Peel the potatoes if you're after perfectly fleck-free soup).
3.  Barely cover with good chicken stock.  Cook covered until tender.  Allow to cool (several hours).
4.  Add some watercress. Blend until very smooth, adding some milk and plain yogurt, a little half and half.
5.  Add some dill and marjoram.  Taste, add salt.
6.  Chill overnight.
7.  Serve in soup bowls, garnished with snipped parsley.

Lettuce from our garden, but not much longer:  it's starting to bolt in the heat.

By this point, my husband was saying firmly, "I'm hungry."  So I put the camera away, despite the lovely light that comes in our dining room at lunchtime every day.  And then we had a lovely Sunday dinner with naps and books to follow.