French Friday: Inspired Salad
May 20, 2011 § 12 Comments
Try to look past my funny attempt at food styling and really see what’s on the plate for French Fridays this week. Because it’s good. Really, really, good. It’s light, but it’s also rich. It’s tangy one bite and smoky the next. mm. mm. mm. I think this may be the perfect summer dinner.
Ok. Bacon, egg, and asparagus salad. It’s pretty simple in that it’s really not much of a “recipe”. You make a dressing (a sherry/Dijon vinaigrette). That takes about 1 minute to make. Boil some cold eggs in salty, boiling water for exactly 6 minutes. Simmer some asparagus in water for about 3 minutes. Toast some walnuts in another skillet at the same time. Fry up some bacon and let it drain on some paper towels. Roll the soft-boiled eggs around in the bacon fat pan for a minute. Throw it all together (dressing the asparagus and salad greens, first) on a plate. Done.
The real story here, for me, is the eggs. I’ve never cooked eggs like this before (truly, I may have over cooked them a bit). It produces a similar texture as a poached egg might, but I liked that it still held the pleasing, egg shape. Poached eggs can look misshapen if you not a pro (I’m not). Plus, it’s a great use for our homegrown eggs b/c that yolk is on display and they are so bright and pretty. The hens should be proud. The orange yolk just ran out, and mixed with the vinaigrette. It was great with the asparagus. Kind of a hollandaise without having to make it.
The smoky bacon balanced out all the high notes and tang of the dressing and just added that little bit of heft to the salad. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it’s given me lots of freedom to just dump eggs on top of other dishes this week.
See what I mean? Kitchen sink veggie linguine with pesto (and a fried egg). Delicious!
Space & Thyme 
Wow, these both look wonderful! I am going to make the salad as soon as possible!
yay, Meghan!
a runny yolk is a beautiful thing. instant sauce. one of my favorite meals is sauteed red potatoes and asparagus with an egg on top. breakfast, lunch or dinner. Will puts a fried egg on his hamburgers….i’m not that hardcore….
I have to say, I enjoyed rolling the cooked egg around in the pancetta fat (I just wish it were a hard boiled egg).
Glad this was a win for you.
oooh. fried egg on a hamburger. Sounds like a heart attack, but kind of worth it. ok. maybe not.
It really is an easy salad, for something that ends up being so impressive.
Eggs are a great source of protein, but I never think of adding them to other dishes. Methinks I should start.
Your salad looks beautiful, and I am definitely cooking this while we’re out here.
Miss you guys.
Sus,
Miss you. I have way too much time on my hands in the evenings, now. I’m sure I’ll just clean!
Of course, since that’s your favorite weekend activity! :) In other news, we’ve bored everyone to tears with stories of your family already…
you should check out “elegance with eggs” on the pbs website. julia child. as always, she is silly yet informative!
this looks soo good! i’ve been craving eggs this pregnancy.
Sus, that’s so funny. I’m imagining disinterested conversations and it’s cracking me up.
Ellie, I had actually seen “elegance with eggs” before. She’s hilarious. She seems so horrified by “naked eggs”. The reason for all the butter, I guess. Also, she has something similar with potatoes that’s pretty inspiring. Just all pretty butter and cream heavy. But, that’s Julia Child. You have to love her.
Erynn, I emailed you about the egg. I think you’re body knows what it needs. Unless it’s telling you to eat 6 eggs a day! In that case, call your doctor. :) Having one with this salad is pretty satisfying.