French Bistro Salad

Hello, Mom and Dad and Friends! Today I've got a recipe to share with you. Nope, I've never tried my hand at food blogging before, but then again, never before have I felt so compelled...leave it to the French to inspire the chef in me. It features a recipe that I didn't give much thought to until I chomped down on my first bite and yummmm. The dish in the spotlight is the quintessential French Bistro Salad.

 

Since arriving in France, I can confirm that they don’t indulge in a lot of vegetables during their main meals, or at least this has been my experience at the restaurants I’ve visited. However, most main plates are accompanied by a small green salad with the perfect vinaigrette. The Bistro Salad is this French green salad with a few extras to make it a satisfying meal. It is a balance of bright, crisp greens and tangy vinaigrettes with rich ingredients: lardon and poached egg. In an effort to eat "French" at home, Mr.V and I (the family cooks) make certain the ingredients for this salad are always on hand.   

 

I could eat this forever: simple, rustic, unpretentious, and delicious.

 

Ingredients: frisée, lardons (or Canadian bacon), eggs, shallots, sherry vinegar, olive oil, and Dijon mustard

Start by finely chopping the shallots. I use an IKEA meat cleaver because it happens to be the sharpest knife in the house, but I realize it's not everyone's first choice.

 

Combine lardons and chopped shallots in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until lardons are crisps. Then remove from heat and set aside.

 

I recommend opening a window for ventilation, especially if you're in France with no range hood and a beautiful spring day.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, and olive oil to make a smooth vinaigrette in a hurry. For a more authentic French vinaigrette recipe check out this how-to by the brilliant food guru, David Lebovitz. You won't regret it. 

Then in a large bowl, toss frisée with vinaigrette. Divide frisée and bacon mixture between all the serving plates.

 

Poach eggs: Bring a saucepan of water to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Crack each egg into a bowl. Slide eggs into water; cook until just firm, about 2 minutes or so. Using a slotted spoon, top salads with 1 egg apiece. As you can see, poaching eggs is a skill I have yet to perfect, but with many more bistro salads in my future I should get there soon.

 

 Season salads with salt and pepper. Bon Appetite!

 

 

Now, let's do something fun. I want to hear what blog title/theme you are interested in seeing on this blog. For example, Mr. V was the one to recommend I publish a piece about French bistro salads. Any ideas? I'd really, really like to hear what about Paris interests you!