Salad Lyonnaise

Poor Dale. Because he is so allergic to mustard and to egg yolk, I have to wait until he isn't around for dinner to enjoy this Salad Lyonnaise, and sometimes I look too forward to having it, i.e., sending out the wrong signals.

This was one of the many wonderful dishes prepared in a Culinary Communion class on poaching. But more on that later.

Salad Lyonnaise would be a great salad to make ahead for a dinner party. All of the ingredients are prepared ahead of time and the only cooking you need to do is to simmer the eggs a minute--poaching is the quietest cooking (See below for details.) Leftover dressing can be placed in a sealed container and will last a week in the fridge.

Salad Lyonnaise Adapted from Culinary Communion
Serves 8

3 large heads frisee, trimmed
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
1/4# bacon, cut into lardoons

8 eggs
2 quarts water
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon kosher salt

8 slices of baguette, cut on the diagonal
8 slices gruyere cheese, 1/8 thick
1 clove garlic

Preheat the broiler
Render the bacon by heating a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute the bacon until it browns and releases all of its fat. Remove the bacon with tongs or a slotted spoon to a paper-towel lined plate, reserving the fat in the pan.

In a small bowl, place the red wine vinegar and mustard. While whisking constantly, drizzle in the olive oil drop by drop to form an emulsion. When all of the olive oil is in, drizzle in the bacon fat. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Peel and cut the garlic clove in half. Rub each side of bread with it. Lay the bread on a baking sheet and top each piece with a slice of gruyere. Place the pan on the middle shelf, and broil until crisp and golden. (As you can see from my picture, I once again burnt the toast.) Remove and set aside.

Heat the water in a saute pan along with the vinegar and salt. Do NOT use a cast iron pan. See the weird reddish-brown goopy stuff on my egg white? That is due to discoloring from the iron and vinegar reacting. Break the eggs into individual ramekins, teacups or small bowls. When the water is very hot, with tiny bubbles forming on the sides of the pan, slide the eggs carefully, one at a time into the water. Do not let the water boil. Poach 2 minutes for a soft yolk and 4 minutes for a firm yolk (unless you are preparing them ahead of time, in which case, cook them for one minute less). Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. At this point you can refrigerate all of the above prepared items. But before assembling, gently warm the eggs in simmering water for a minute.)

Assemble the salad by tossing the greens with the dressing and bacon lardoons. Make a small mound on each of 8 plates. Place an egg in the middle of each mound of greens and top with a toast, placed just to the right of the yolk. Serve immediately.