Make A Delicious "Swimsuit" Dish......
If you either are there already and want to maintain or are almost there......swimsuit shape that is, this recipe is perfect to help at any level. Savory flavors mingles together with a zesty vinaigrette, tender asparagus and the perfect soft boiled egg......oh the bacon, well a little couldn't hurt!
Asparagus, Bacon & Egg Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
The Vinaigrette
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard (optional but strongly suggested)
1 tbsp Sherry vinegar
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp hazelnut or walnut oil
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
The Salad
4 large eggs, cold, extremely fresh
20 asparagus spears,medium thickness, trimmed and peeled
6 slices Applewood Smoked Bacon
3 handfuls mesclun or other mixed salad greens, rinsed and dried
1/3 cup hazelnuts or walnuts, chopped
Preparation
Vinaigrette
Put all the ingredients in a small jar, cover, and shake to blend; or use a small bowl and a whisk. If you’ve used the mustard, the dressing will be fairly well blended; if not, it will blend, then separate, either way, it’s fine. Set aside, and shake (or whisk) again before using. (You can make the vinaigrette up to a week in advance and keep it in the fridge.)
Salad
Fill a medium saucepan with heavily salted cold water. Gently lower the eggs into the water using a spoon to avoid cracking them. Allow the eggs to boil for exactly 6 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat, lift the eggs into a strainer, and run them under cold water to cool them quickly. Fill the pan with cold water and leave the eggs in the water until needed.
Bring a large skillet of salted water to a boil. Slip the asparagus into the pan and cook for 4 minutes, or until you can pierce the spears with the tip of a paring knife. The asparagus should be cooked through but not at all mushy. Carefully transfer the spears to a plate lined with a double thickness of paper towels and pat them dry.
Pour out the salted water, rinse the skillet to cool it, dry it, and lay the strips of bacon in the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, turning as needed, until the bacon is golden and crisp on both sides. Remove the strips and put them between a double thickness of paper towels. When the bacon is cool, cut it into narrow strips or chop it into bits. Leave 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the skillet — you’ll use it for the eggs.
When you’re ready to serve, very, very carefully shell the eggs. It’s a fussy job, because the eggs are so soft, and you might not get the shells off cleanly, but unless you break into the yolks, it will be fine. Rinse the eggs to remove any bits of shell and pat them dry. Warm the bacon fat over medium heat.
While the bacon fat is heating, assemble the salad. You can put it together on a platter or arrange it on individual plates. Either way, season the mesclun with salt and pepper, then toss it with about three quarters of the vinaigrette, and arrange in the center of the platter or your plates. Toss the asparagus with the remaining vinaigrette (I do this with my fingers) and lay the spears over the greens.
Now return to the skillet. When the fat is warm, gingerly slip the eggs into the skillet and roll them around in the fat for a minute or two, just to coat them with fat, heat them slightly, and color them a little.
Lift the eggs out of the skillet and place them on top of the asparagus. Scatter the bacon bits and toasted nuts over the salad and serve immediately.
Notes
A great starter for a spring or summer dinner, the salad can also be the main event at a warm-weather lunch. If you serve it for lunch, think about serving a chunk of cheese (or a small platter of cheeses) as well. Nutty cheeses like Comté, Gruyère, or Parmesan go particularly well with asparagus.
You can make the vinaigrette days ahead, and it’s okay to cook the asparagus, bacon, and eggs a couple of hours ahead, but the eggs’ final swirl around in the bacon fat and the salad’s assembly need to be last-minute.
Share this recipe from A Delicious "Swimsuit" Dish...... with your friends and groups
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário