The Lady Olive

Let’s make this as elegant as possible, shall we?

I’ve decided to swan dive into the deep and exciting world of blogging.  The idea has been in my head for, well, too long to publicly admit, but here I am taking the plunge.  I hope you will follow me and my random, albeit delicious, life.

Let’s start from the very beginning (a very good place to start…)

An Autobiography

My love of French cuisine began in the formative years.  My Uncle Dean took me to a French restaurant in Charlotte (no longer in business) called Patou. When the 15 year old American loves escargot, well, you know you have someone with a taste for the finer things (or who just really loves butter).   I am going to go with the “lover of finer things” description (ahem, butter makes everything delicious!).  With that brief autobiography, I leave you with a delicious and simple recipe for my version of Salade Lyonnaise (which means it’s prepared in the style of Lyon, France).

Salade Lyonnaise (adapted from Food Network’s Melissa d’Arabian)

Ingredients (serves 2)

3 slices of bacon

4 eggs

Butter lettuce (I actually prefer frisée)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (for poaching eggs)

Salt & pepper to taste

Method

First, cut your bacon into vertical strips.

I cut about three slices worth. Then, fry your bacon over medium-low heat until the fat is rendered and crispy!  Try not to eat all of it.  It should look something like this:

Drain on a paper towel. Reserve the grease!!! It’s going into the dressing.

Ok, on to the eggs. Poaching eggs may seem intimidating, but don’t be afraid. You can follow Deb’s step-by-step directions here.  I found them to be quite helpful. I only screwed up once! The most helpful tip is to put the egg in a ramekin before dropping it into the nearly (but not quite) boiling water. She also suggests putting a touch of vinegar in the water to help hold the egg together.

Poach the eggs, one by one for about 2 minutes each. I love a runny yolk, so no need to over do it.  Let dry on a paper towel lined plate.

Whisk the reserved bacon grease (think of it as olive oil, minus the healthy fats), with your Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar. Toss to coat butter lettuce.  Sprinkle bacon on top and finish off with two perfectly (right?!) poached eggs.  Dig in, it’s divine!