Classic Curly Frisee Salad with Poached Eggs, Lardons and Croutons

This is great as lunch or an appetizer on it's own. For dinner, accompany salad with a soup, maybe vichyssoise. Bon appetit!

2 large eggs

1 bunch of curly frisee (use the tender green parts)

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp of sherry or champagne vinegar (or use more depending on how acidic you like your dressings)

2 cloves of garlic

1 slice thick bacon

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Gourmet croutons or homemade

Serves one

Vinagrette:

Fill a bigger saute pan with enough water and a splash of vinegar (vinegar helps to hold the whites together) to submerge eggs; I like to make an extra egg or so just in case a yolk breaks; also, a non-stick pan helps; bring water up to boil, reduce to simmer, and slowly break your eggs into the hot water; turn up the heat a bit but not to a boil and using a slotted spoon bathe the yolks gently with water until the whites are cooked and the yolk is translucent, but still runny; transfer to a plate with paper towels on it and tent with tinfoil to keep warm

Croutons:

You can use any good gourmet crouton or make your own by using stale bread, cutting them up into bite-size pieces, coating them in olive oil with a little salt and pepper, and baking them in the oven at 375 degrees until golden brown and crisp.

To Assemble Salad:

Work fast, so your eggs don't get cold! Dress your clean frisee with as much vinagrette as you like, approximately 2-3 tablespoons (so you will have extra dressing for another time -- just refrigerate and it will last for about a week). Then, salt and pepper your salad to taste and toss to fully incorporate vinagrette. 

Garnish with lardons and as many croutons as you want. Then, add warm eggs to the top of the salad. This is a lunch-sized serving, if you wanted to do an appetizer, cut the recipe in half and only use one egg. Now remember, you can use as much bacon and croutons as you want -- there are no rules, you can make this recipe your own!