Description
La Salade Lyonnaise is the best brunch salad ever. A soft poached egg , crispy bacon and a rich shallot jam served on a homemade crouton over mixed greens.
Ingredients
La Salade Lyonnaise for Four
4 eggs
4 shallots, thinly sliced
6 cups of mixed green salad
10 strips of bacon (about 12 oz)
4 long slices of baguette (cut on a diagonal)
1 tbsp of white vinegar
Shallots confit
4 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
2 strips of bacon, sliced thinly
2 tbsps of butter
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup of red wine (ideally the pinot noir you will serve with the salad!)
Vinaigrette a l'ail
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
12 tsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, chopped into tiny pieces (or pressed through a garlic press)
a pinch of salt
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Lay the strips of bacon out, as spaced apart as possible, on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes, turning once and keeping a close eye until the bacon is at your desired level of crispiness. I like mine crispy!
Meanwhile, lets make the shallots confit to spread on your crouton.
Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over medium high.
Add the shallots, the garlic and the bacon. Stir frequently. Add a pinch of salt.
When the shallots and garlic begin to stick, deglaze the pan with the red wine.
Add in the butter and stir. Remove pan from the heat and gently remove the confit shallots, leaving the oil at the bottom of the pan.
Making the crouton:
Using the flavorful oil that is left in the bottom of the pan from cooking the shallots and bacon, lightly sear your baguette slices until just golden. Flip to brown both sides. Remove from the heat. This only takes a couple minutes.
Spoon the shallot mixture equally over each crouton.
Seasoning the Salad
In a small bowl mix a pinch of salt, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and chopped garlic. Stir with a fork.
Pour over the salad in a large mixing bowl and toss with salad tongs. Evenly split the salad between the 4 plates.
Sprinkle the chopped bacon over each plate (about 2 rashers per person). I love the crispy texture this adds to the dish.
Poaching the eggs
Poaching the eggs should be the very last thing you do. Once you have seasoned the salad, set up your crouton and your guests are ready. Brunch will be ready in 5 minutes!
Bring a sauce pan with 3 inches of water to boil. Add one tablespoon of white vinegar to the water. Gently crack the eggs over the water, one by one. Nudge the eggs with a spoon to lightly shape. After 4 minutes, carefully remove with a slotted spoon and place on a folded paper towel. Gently transfer each egg to a crouton. This makes for a deliciously runny egg. If you would like your egg well done, leave to cook for a couple minutes more.
I like to add a small pinch of fleur de sel to the top of each egg before serving.
Notes
Wine Pairing
La Salade Lyonnaise pairs beautifully with a Pinot Noir, the official red grape of the Burgundy region of which Lyon is the capital. I always prefer a Pinot Noir that is rich and fruity, similar to the hearty Pinot Noirs made in Burgundy.
Other Summer Salad Recipes you will enjoy
La Salade Parisienne (Potato Salad with a French twish)
Of course - it all goes beautifully with a homemade French Baguette - the most popular recipe on Le Chef's Wife Blog!