I found some beautiful leeks and wanted to do something special with them so I searched the web and found an interesting video from The French Cooking Academy called Leeks two ways and one was in Apple Cider Veloute. I watched the video and I thought it seemed pretty easy and it also sounded tasty. The French Chef would be mad at me for changing up his recipe a bit but he did give me the idea for this dish so I have to give a special THANK YOU to The French Cooking Academy. I do note that the sauce will thicken when cold so for a reheat you will have to thin it down some with more apple cider and or heavy cream if you prefer.

Ingredients for around three servings

2 Leeks – greens removed, root removed, tough layer removed, split but not all the threw and cleaned – Bundle up with string so they don’t fall apart.

1 Tablespoon salt

1 lb carrots – peeled if not organic or if desired. Cut them to a similar shape as the leeks.

2 Tablespoons canola oil

small red onion – sliced paper thin

1 apple – slice paper thin

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (plus more for re-heats)

2 Tablespoons cream cheese (must be a better brand like Arla that doesn’t have stabilizers or preservatives) (of course the real recipe uses heavy cream to your liking. I don’t usually have heavy cream in the house and that is why I used cream cheese for the creamy factor. (plus the 2 Tablespoons is much less fattening than a cup of heavy cream).

1 lemon (just the fresh squeezed juice)

pinch ground white pepper

fresh nutmeg – just a few grates

Directions

Slow boil the bundle of leeks with a good amount of salt till they are soft. At least 5 minutes. Remove leeks and let them cool to room temperature and set to the side.

Boil your carrots for about two minutes. Sauté carrots with canola oil till they brown some and set to the side.

Add apples and onions to pan and cook till onions have a slight brown color and set to side.

Clean fry pan and on medium high add the butter. Add the flour and whisk till smooth and bubbles. You want to cook the flour. Slowly add the apple cider and whisk. Let sauce cook till bubbles and reduce to simmer. Add white pepper and nutmeg.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice on all the vegetables and serve with sauce right away. You can stuff the leek with the onions and apple if you like.

A Special THANKS to The French Cooking Academy for inspiring me.