IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS WITH THIS CLASSIC LYONNAISE SALAD
About 25 years ago, Carl Taylor made a classic Lyonnaise salad for us and we begged him for the recipe. Looking at the geography of France, you'll find that the city of Lyon is situated not far from Beaujolais, which is convenient considering the hearty traditional charcuterie of the city. You'll also discover how the lighter wines of Beaujolais beautifully accompany vinaigrette salads, too, especially when they are studded with lardons, traditional French bacon, as Carl's classic recipe does.
Carl Taylor's Lyonnaise Salad
The Vinaigrette
- Small shallot, minced
- 2 tbs Dijon style mustard
- 2 to 21/2 tbs good vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
The Croutons
- 1/4 cup olive oil, about
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2-3 cups bread cubes from good quality bread
The Salad
- 1/2 lb. thick, unsliced bacon, cut in large cubes
- Head of curly endive, rinsed and dried, then torn in bite sized pieces
- 1/2 bunch Italian parsley, leaves pulled from stems
The Magic Ingredient
- 2 cups water, about
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
Wisk minced shallot, mustard, vinegar and 1/2 cup olive oil together to make vinaigrette. Taste, add salt and pepper and adjust oil and vinegar. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to pan, add garlic cloves and brown lightly to perfume oil—do not burn the garlic. Add bread cubes to pan and toss bread cubes in warm oil and brown croutons well. Cook bacon until not quite crisp. Toss endive, parsley, croutons and bacon cubes in vinaigrette and pile on large plates. Heat 2 cups water with vinegar and salt in a saucepan until boiling, break eggs and add carefully to water. When the water comes back to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the white is set and the yolk is runny. Remove eggs from the poaching water, drain carefully and set on top of each salad. Voila!
Serves 4