Frisee Lardon Salad Recipes

FRISÉE AUX LARDONS

Steps:

• Break apart endive leaves, tearing them apart from each other and in half. Rinse the leaves well and temporarily set them aside to dry.
• Cut each stalk of leek in half, lengthwise, before rinsing under water very well. Make sure you rinse each crevice to make sure you get rid of any grit. Slice the leeks in 1/4 inch slices.
• In a medium saucepan, fry the diced bacon until crispy; set aside. Sauté the sliced leeks in this same pan until they're tender - about 5 to 8 minutes.
• Remove the leeks and fry the eggs in the same pan, cooking each egg for 2 minutes, before flipping and cooking the other side for another 15 to 20 seconds. Note: If pan looks dry before adding eggs, add a teaspoon or two of olive oil to keep eggs from sticking.
• In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, dijon, a pinch of salt, and garlic together.
• Toss the endive with the leeks, bacon, and just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the salad leaves. Plate the salad and top each salad with a fried egg. Sprinkle a little freshly ground pepper and some sea salt over the entire salad.

WARM FRISéE-LARDON SALADE WITH POACHED EGGS IN RED-WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Cook shallots in 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine, garlic, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and boil until reduced to about 1 cup, 25 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Meanwhile, cook lardons in a small heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned but not crisp. Drain on paper towels.
• Strain wine mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids. Return to saucepan, then stir in veal demi-glace and bring to a simmer.
• Stir together flour and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to make a beurre manié, then whisk into sauce and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Add half of lardons to sauce and keep warm off heat, covered. Wrap remaining lardons in foil and keep warm on rack in lower third of oven.
• Cook eggs and toasts:
• Brush baguette slices with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toast in upper third of oven until pale golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Rub garlic on toasts.
• Meanwhile, fill a deep large skillet with 1 1/4 inches water, then add vinegar and bring to a simmer. Break 1 egg into a cup and slide egg into water. Repeat with remaining eggs, spacing them apart, and poach at a bare simmer until whites are firm but yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Make salad while eggs poach:
• Toss frisée with vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then with oil, and divide among 4 plates.
• To serve:
• Lift each egg out of poaching liquid with a slotted spatula and gently pat dry (still on spatula), then transfer to a toast. Season eggs lightly with salt and pepper and divide among salads. Pour sauce over eggs and sprinkle salads with remaining lardons.

FRISéE SALAD WITH POACHED EGGS AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. To make the toasts, arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush one side with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil about 4 inches from the heat until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the slices over and toast. Remove from the oven and while warm, rub one side of each toast with the cut surface of the halved garlic clove. Transfer to a rack and set aside.
• Fill a large bowl with water and set aside (use hot water if serving the salad immediately, cold if making the eggs ahead). To poach the eggs, fill a large saucepan with 3 inches of water, add the white vinegar, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Break one of the eggs into a ramekin or teacup. Using the handle (not the bowl) of a wooden spoon, swirl the water to create a whirlpool effect, which will help the eggs hold their shape. Decrease the heat to medium-low so the water is at a gentle boil and slide the egg into the center. Reduce the heat and poach the egg until the white is solid and the yolk is firm but still soft to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the egg and transfer to the bowl of water; set aside. Return the water to a gentle boil, and repeat the process with the other eggs. The eggs can be poached up to 12 hours ahead and refrigerated in a sealed container. To serve them, reheat briefly in hot water.
• Line a plate with paper towels. To cook the bacon, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp and brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to the prepared plate; set aside.
• To make the dressing, drain off all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet. Add the shallot and cook until translucent, about 1 minute. Add the chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the red wine vinegar and stir to combine (the vinegar will emit strong fumes, so keep your face back from the pan).
• Add the greens to the skillet and toss to coat and wilt slightly. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
• To serve, divide the salad among individual serving plates. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs from the bowl of water to paper towels; gently pat them dry. Place an egg on top of each bed of dressed greens. Garnish with the reserved bacon and season with pepper. Serve with the garlic toasts.

FRISEE SALAD WITH LARDONS AND POACHED EGGS

Steps:

• Fill a large, deep skillet 2/3 full with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add white vinegar. Place frisee in a large bowl; set aside.
• Cook bacon, stirring occasionally, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Remove bacon, reserving fat, and set aside. Add shallot to pan; cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar; bring to a boil, swirling to combine. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Add bacon.
• Break an egg into a small bowl; holding bowl just over simmering vinegar water, gently slide egg into water. Repeat with remaining eggs. Poach 1 to 2 minutes (longer for firm yolks). Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Return vinaigrette to stove to rewarm if necessary. Pour over frisee and toss gently to combine. Divide evenly among 4 serving plates. Use a slotted spoon to remove poached eggs, and place on the slice of white bread to drain. Top each salad with one egg. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

FRISEE-LARDON SALAD

Steps:

• Pour water into a large saucepan to a depth of 2" and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so water is at a gentle simmer and add white vinegar (it helps the egg whites stay compact). Crack an egg into a small bowl, then gently slide it into the water. Repeat with remaining eggs, waiting until the whites are starting to set before adding the next one (about 30 seconds apart). Cook eggs until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to paper towels as they finish cooking.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the fat has rendered and bacon is starting to brown, 5-8 minutes. Add shallot, season with kosher salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot is translucent and softened but hasn't taken on any color, about 5 minutes. Add red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by threequarters, 5-8 minutes. Taste bacon vinaigrette and adjust seasoning with kosher salt and pepper if needed.
• Place frisée in a large bowl and drizzle warm bacon vinaigrette over top. Gently toss until frisée is evenly dressed and slightly wilted and season with fleur de sel and pepper.
• Divide frisée salad among plates and carefully set an egg atop each. Season eggs with fleur de sel and pepper and scatter chives around.
• Eggs can be poached 4 hours ahead. Place in a bowl of ice water; cover and chill. Reheat in barely simmering water 1 minute before serving.

FRISEE AUX LARDONS

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned and slightly crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
• Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepot over high heat. Add the vinegar and stir to combine. Working one at a time, crack each egg into a small dish and slowly lower it into the water, sliding the egg out. Reduce the heat to maintain a light simmer and poach the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Chop the frisee into 2-inch pieces, place in a large bowl and toss with the cooked bacon, crumbled blue cheese and vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper and toss until well combined. Divide the salad among 4 plates and gently place a poached egg in the center of each "nest" of salad. Divide the baguette slices among the plates and serve immediately.
• Put the garlic cloves in a small saucepan and add enough olive oil just to cover. Cook over low heat until the garlic is soft and melting, 35 to 45 minutes, to make garlic confit.
• Combine the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper with 2 tablespoons garlic confit and 2 tablespoons water in a blender and blend on medium speed until smooth. (Reserve the remaining garlic confit for another use.) With the motor running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream until it has been incorporated.
• Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. The vinaigrette will keep for up to 1 week.

FRISéE AUX LARDONS

Steps:

• Wash and dry curly endive, place in a shallow salad bowl and refrigerate.
• In a small skillet, simmer bacon for about 5 minutes in a small amount of water. Drain and dry skillet, then cook bacon over medium heat until lightly browned and crisp, but still a bit springy.
• For the vinaigrette, whisk together mustard, vinegar and garlic. Whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Put a low-sided skillet on the stove and fill two-thirds with salted water. Bring to a gentle simmer. Crack each egg into a cup and carefully lower into the water. Poach eggs for 3 to 4 minutes, until whites have set and yolks are still soft. With a slotted spoon, remove to a towel-lined plate.
• Lightly salt endive and toss with vinaigrette, coating well. Divide greens among 4 plates, place an egg in center of each, then add 3 croutons. Spoon warm lardons over salads. Shower with freshly ground black pepper and serve.