Vermouth in Leek Soup

[Shel_B]

I came across a recipe for caramelized leek soup which I'd like to try. It's made with vermouth. I don't know much about vermouth other than it can be had as a sweet or a dry variety. In the recipe below, which style of vermouth might be best, and are there any brands that might be well suited to this purpose? Thanks!

Caramelized Leek Soup

2 pounds leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 2 bunches)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/4 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup vermouth

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

Garnish: 4 teaspoons finely sliced fresh chives

[judiu]

Re the vermouth, the dry is the colour of white wine, sweet is red, so, to me, dry would be the way to go. This sounds excellent; have you had a chance to try it yet? If the vermouth doesn't suit your taste, try a dry sherry.

[mkayahara]

Yeah, that's almost certainly the dry variety. In my experience, there are very few recipes that use sweet vermouth. In general, Noilly Prat of Dolin dry vermouths are considered to be the gold standard.

[Charcuterer]

I would use an inexpensive dry vermouth like Gallo extra dry. Cooks illustrated rated it #1 and says that in amounts up to 1/2 cup vermouth can be a 1:1 substitution for white wine. So you can keep it around, for up to 3 months in the fridge, and use it in lieu of white wine.

[Shel_B]

If the vermouth doesn't suit your taste, try a dry sherry.

Hmm ... never thought of that. I have some nice sherry on hand, too. Tks!

[Shel_B]

I would use an inexpensive dry vermouth like Gallo extra dry. Cooks illustrated rated it #1 and says that in amounts up to 1/2 cup vermouth can be a 1:1 substitution for white wine. So you can keep it around, for up to 3 months in the fridge, and use it in lieu of white wine.

That sounds like good information. Thanks!

[Shel_B]

Yeah, that's almost certainly the dry variety. In my experience, there are very few recipes that use sweet vermouth. In general, Noilly Prat of Dolin dry vermouths are considered to be the gold standard.

Thanks!

[Shel_B]

Re the vermouth, the dry is the colour of white wine, sweet is red, so, to me, dry would be the way to go. This sounds excellent; have you had a chance to try it yet? If the vermouth doesn't suit your taste, try a dry sherry.

I made the soup using dry vermouth, and it was a big hit. A friend suggested marsala as an alternative, and I used marsala when I made another onion dish - the results were quite good.