Endive Salad with Bacon and Crôutons known as [Salade Frisée]

from Ruby (Louise King) [email protected]

This is THE classic Bistro salad in France.  Frisée has an inherent bitterness that is a wonderful counterpoint to rich food, so this salad is very refreshing almost any time.  Use less bacon if you must, but do use bacon; the salad is not complete without it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 clove Garlic, peeled and chopped      

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

1⁄2 baguette or crusty Italian loaf

8 slices, each 1⁄2-inch thick, of smoked Bacon

1/8 cup Dijon Mustard

1⁄4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Juice of 1⁄2 Lemon

11⁄2 teaspoons granulated White Sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper

2 large or 3 small bunches Frisée (curly endive, Regular endive or chicory),

washed well and dried

GARNISH:

Croûtons and 1⁄4 pound Gruyère Cheese, freshly grated

SPECIAL PREPARATIONS:

Prepare Croûtons in advance /Be sure and make by hand!

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine garlic, 1⁄4 cup of the olive oil, and salt and black pepper to taste. Slice the bread 3⁄4-inch thick. Brush bothsides of the bread with the oil mixture, cut into cubes to make croûtons and either sauté or place on a baking sheet and bake until in a preheated 400° F. oven until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Watch carefully so they don’t burn. Set aside.

2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add bacon, blanch 5 seconds, then remove and drain well. Cut bacon into 1x1⁄2-inch pieces. Place a sauté pan over medium heat, add bacon and sauté until browned. Then, remove the pan from heat. Remove the fat and save for another use or discard and keep the reserved bacon in the warm pan; do not refrigerate the bacon at all.

3. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette by combining the mustard, lemon juice, Balsamic Vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Mix well and then slowly whisk in the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil until emulsified. Taste the vinaigrette, adding more oil or vinegar to your taste, and season with salt only if necessary. Add HALF the vinaigrette to the pan with the reserved warm bacon, heat until very warm...almost hot and stir. Reserve the remaining vinaigrette.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the frisée (Endive) with the hot olive oil and bacon mixture.

PRESENTATION SUGGESTIONS:

To serve, place an equal amount of frisée in a mound in the center of each chilled salad plate. Scatter some croûtons on top of the frisée. Using a vegetable peeler, cut very thin slices of the Gruyère and scatter them on top of each salad. Drizzle some of the reserved vinaigrette around the edge of each plate. Serve immediately.

SERVES: 4 (very generously) to 8 (small servings)

Tomato and Mustart Tart/Wonderful with sausage.

from Ruby (Louise King) [email protected]

Alway’s successful and always delicious.

For the pastry: buy it ready made or else:

flour 8 oz.

butter 5 oz.

salt a pinch

Water

In a terrain, mix with the tips of your fingers the butter cut into pieces and the flour until it forms thick crumbs. Now pour a little water over the mixture until the paste becomes homogeneous. Leave it rest for an hour but if you are in a hurry you can use it at once.

For the garnish:

Mustard, 1 pot

Tomatoes: 4 or 5

Gruyere: 20 ounces

Herbs, thyme, salt, pepper, olive oil.

After having spread out the pastry in the mold, spread a thick bed of mustard, then slices of gruyer, then the quartered tomatoes, press to get rid of the juices. One may add a few sprigs of thyme. Bake in a hot oven for 40

minutes. Serve hot as a first course. This will make a light meal if served with a salad.

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