Frisee Salad with Lardons and Poached Eggs

One of the leafy green items we got this week was curly endive. Also known as chicory or frisée , it's a bitter lettuce. Very bitter. Mean girl bitter.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to do with it. Had it been cooler outside I would have tossed it in a pot of Italian Wedding Soup, which would have blunted some of its sharpness. But the weatherman was calling for more typical Baltimore summer weather (Translation: Hot and sticky.)

So I made salad. With warm bacon dressing. And a poached egg on top. Break into the egg and the warm yolk drips over the dressed greens and creates this delicious, rich tasting sauce that complements sharp vinaigrette and salty bacon. I sprinkled my bowl with a little crumbled blue cheese, because I thought I remembered that a french bistro near here does the same.

Here's the recipe I used from Gourmet Magazine:

FRISÉE SALAD WITH LARDONS AND POACHED EGGS

SERVES4

The secret to this take on salad lyonnaise is very fresh eggs. If the slab bacon you're using is particularly lean, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet when cooking.

FEBRUARY 1999

• 1/2 lb frisée (French curly endive)
• 6 oz slab bacon or thick-cut bacon slices
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

• Tear frisée into bite-size pieces and put in a large bowl. If using slab bacon, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bacon slices crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick sticks (lardons).
• In a heavy skillet cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and remove skillet from heat.
• Have ready another skillet with 1 inch warm water. Half-fill a 4-quart saucepan with water and stir in white vinegar. Bring liquid to a bare simmer. Break each egg into a teacup. Slide 1 egg into simmering liquid and immediately push white around yolk with a slotted spoon, moving egg gently. (Egg will become oval, with yolk completely covered by white.) Add remaining 3 eggs in same manner. Simmer eggs about 1 1/2 minutes for runny yolks to about 3 minutes for firm yolks. (Serving this salad with runny—not fully cooked—yolks may be of concern if there is a problem with salmonella in your area.) Immediately transfer eggs to skillet of warm water.
• Reheat bacon in its skillet over moderate heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add red-wine vinegar and boil 5 seconds. Immediately pour hot dressing over frisée and toss with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide salad among 4 plates and top with drained poached eggs. Season eggs with salt and pepper and serve salad immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Gourmet