Curly Endive Lettuce With Bacon And Poached Egg Food

CURLY ENDIVE LETTUCE WITH BACON AND POACHED EGG

Steps:

• Chop the bacon strip into pieces and brown in a small skillet. Place the cooked bacon on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
• Poach the egg in a skillet or saucepan with about 1 1/2" of water brought to a simmer on the stove. Crack the egg into a small bowl and carefully lower it into the water. Cook for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes for a runny yolk. Remove with a slotted spoon and use a paper towel to dry off some of the water.
• Assemble the lettuce on a plate or shallow bowl, add the bacon, tomatoes, and cheese. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and place the poached egg on top. Salt and pepper as desired.

WILTED CURLY ENDIVE

Steps:

• Cook bacon until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Reserve 3 tablespoons drippings. Cut or tear endive from center stalk; discard stalks. , In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring water and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Add endive; cover and cook for 3 minutes or until wilted. Drain. Stir in the bacon, vinegar, onion, pepper, reserved drippings and remaining salt.

POACHED EGG WITH CURLY ENDIVE SALAD

Steps:

• Remove the dark green outer leaves from: 2 large heads of curly endive (frisée). Separate into individual leaves and wash and dry well. Cut into 1/3-inch pieces: 2 bacon slices. Warm in a small heavy pan, over medium heat: 2 teaspoons olive oil.
• Add the bacon pieces and cook until brown and rendered, but not crisp. Remove from the pan. Pour off the fat from the pan and reserve. To make the dressing, mix together: 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper, 1 garlic clove, crushed. Whisk in: 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons bacon fat.
• Taste for salt and acid and adjust as needed. Fill a heavy saucepan with 4 cups of water and add: 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Heat to just below a simmer and slide in: 4 eggs, cracked from their shells.
• Poach for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and keep warm. Put the vinaigrette into a large bowl (remove the crushed garlic clove), add the bacon, and put the bowl over the pan of hot water to warm. Add the greens and toss well. Divide the greens among 4 warm plates. Gently blot the eggs dry, and put 1 egg on top of each salad. Grind a little black pepper over the top and serve immediately.
• Variations
• Other greens work well in this salad: try spinach, escarole, dandelion greens, or tender radicchio varieties such as Castelfranco or Sugar Loaf.
• The warm salad can be served without poached eggs.
• Omit the bacon, increasing the amount of olive oil in the dressing to make up for the loss of bacon fat.
• Make some rustic croutons and toss them while still hot with fine-chopped garlic. Dress the croutons with a little vinaigrette and toss with the greens.
• notes
• A freshly laid organic egg simply poached is an incomparable delicacy.
• Eggshell fragments can be easily retrieved, scooped up with half a broken eggshell.

CURLY ENDIVE SALAD WITH WARM BACON DRESSING

Steps:

• Combine sugar and flour in small bowl. Gradually whisk in vinegar, then egg. Whisk in broth.
• Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown. Whisk in vinegar mixture. Stir until dressing comes to simmer and thickens. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm over low heat before continuing.)
• Place endive in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Serve, passing remaining dressing separately.

WARM BACON ENDIVE DRESSING

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute the onion in the drippings until tender. Add the sugar, cornstarch, salt and vinegar; stir until smooth. Gradually stir in the milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. , Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg; return all to the pan; stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat., In a large salad bowl, combine the endive, hard-boiled eggs and reserved bacon. Add desired amount of warm dressing; toss to coat. Refrigerate leftover dressing.

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.