Friends and I have been going to Corner Cafe for lunch since it opened so many years ago. I love the potato soup with the potato beignet garnish. The soup is velvety and I am guessing there are not a lot of ingredients, maybe just potatoes, leeks, cream and not much else. Can you get the recipe?
— Anne Stanley, Atlanta
Corner Cafe’s executive chef James Page was happy to share the recipe for this soup which he wrote has been a staple on the menu since the restaurant opened. “This soup is a favorite with our regular customers and new ones love it as well. We serve the creamy soup with a potato beignet to provide a crisp contrast and then drizzle the soup with basil oil.” The soup is offered in 1-cup and 2-cup portions.
Readers interested in making the accompanying beignet shown in this photograph can find the recipe here or in the Sept. 1, 2024 print edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The restaurant prepares the basil oil by processing a half pound of fresh basil leaves, 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt in the jar of a blender. Once pureed, the mixture is strained through a sieve lined with a coffee filter. Then the oil is stored in a squeeze bottle to make it easy to drizzle on each bowl of soup. You may find basil-infused olive oil at your grocery store or a specialty food store.
Corner Cafe’s Potato Leek Soup
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced 1-inch thick
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks
4 cups water
2 teaspoons Morton kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 teaspoon white pepper
Basil oil, for garnishing (see note)
In a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add leeks and saute 7 to 10 minutes or until leeks are tender, but not brown, stirring frequently. Add potatoes, water and salt and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, then decrease heat to low and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are very soft.
Remove Dutch oven from heat and use an immersion blender to blend soup until smooth. Return Dutch oven to cooktop over low heat and stir in cream. Simmer 10 minutes, then stir in white pepper and taste for seasoning, adding more salt, if desired.
Serve hot, garnishing each portion with a drizzle of basil oil.
Makes 8 cups.
Per 1-cup serving: 455 calories (percent of calories from fat, 69), 6 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams total sugars, 2 grams fiber, 36 grams total fat (23 grams saturated), 107 milligrams cholesterol, 348 milligrams sodium.
From the menu of ... The Corner Cafe. 3070 Piedmont Road, Atlanta; 404-240-1978, cornercafeatlanta.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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