Salad Lyonnaise

And we are back after our unintended spring hiatus....

I meant to take off only a few weeks from blogging because I was really busy with a whole bunch of other stuff but somehow a few weeks turned into a few months. So here we are in June. March, April and May slipped right past me. My bad. It won't happen again.  

Salad Lyonnaise is a culinary work of art that is perfect in every way. This salad is not only a personal favorite, it's also a national treasure of French bistro cooking.  Originating from the city of Lyon, you can find this dish on menus all across the country. I feel so chic when I eat this salad, like I should be wearing vintage Chanel and sitting in a tucked-away cafe on a cobblestone street on the Riviera with a glass of sauvignon blanc in one hand and a small poodle named Madame FiFi in the other. The way the cool, bitter frisee and crunchy croutons contrast with the warm and gooey poached egg is divine. And the bacon...did I mention there's bacon? Big cubes of bacon called lardons fried up crisp and fatty. All coated in a tangy Dijon vinaigrette. Heaven on a plate.

SALAD LYONNAISE
printer friendly recipe

12 ounces frisee, torn into bite size pieces
4 eggs
2 teaspoons plain white vinegar or rice vinegar
4 strips of thick cut bacon
4 slices of baguette, cut into one inch cubes
2 tablespoons of butter
1 garlic clove, smashed
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

To make the croutons, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the bread cubes and toast until lightly browned and crisp on the edges, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.


To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, shallots and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Prepare the lardons by cutting the bacon into one cubes.  Fry in the same pan that you made used for the croutons, over medium high heat until crispy and deeply browned. This will take 5-7 minutes depending on how the thick the bacon is. Remove to a paper towel until ready to use.  (Tip: save the bacon fat the accumulates in the pan and use it to scramble eggs or make hash browns for breakfast the next day.)

Toss the frisee, bacon and croutons with just enough salad dressing to lightly coat.  Divide among four plates.


For the poached eggs, crack each egg into an individual ramekin or small bowl.  Heat a shallow saucepan of water to a boil over medium high heat.  The saucepan should be large enough to hold all four eggs at once. Stir in the plain white or rice vinegar and then lower heat to medium low so that the water comes to a slow simmer. Gently slide one egg at a time into the water by dipping the edge of the ramekin below the surface of the water. Use a spoon to push the egg whites around the yolk, forming an oval or ball. Do this for all four eggs as quickly as you can. Cook the eggs in the water for 4-5 minutes, or until the yolk are set the way you like them.  Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and gently shake off the excess water.  Place one egg on top of each salad. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.


Bon Appetit!

PS: Watch this video for tips on how to poach an egg perfectly.