Rainy Night Dinner

It has been cold, rainy and miserable in Los Angeles the last week. We decided to make the ultimate cold weather dish: French Onion Soup. It is perfect on a winter night. We always make French Onion Soup from Julia Childs first book: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It is the best! It is really quite easy, and always works out. The trick is to cook the THINLY sliced onions slowly to bring out their flavor. You can find the recipe in our blog of: Dec. 21, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a frisee salad recipe from Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book . It is a delicious salad and I especially like the hot dressing that she uses. Any salad with croutons has to be good in my book.

Sort of Frisee Lardon
From Twist of the Wrist by Nancy Silverton

I've taken my favorite bistro salad—frisee, poached egg, and bacon—and turned it into my favorite sort-of sandwich. Large chunks of bacon, rustic hunks of toasted bread, peppery greens, and scoops of soft-cooked egg tossed together with a warm mustard-sherry dressing will satisfy the Francophile in you.

6 ounces bacon, preferably applewood-smoked, sliced off the slab into 3 1/2-inch-thick strips

FOR THE CROUTONS
1 pound white sourdough loaf
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
5 extra-large eggs
1 medium head (about 8 ounces) radicchio, leaves removed and torn into large pieces – we only used frisee lettuce in our version
1 medium head (about 4 ounces) frisee, center core removed, pulled apart into small bunches
1 large bunch (about 4 ounces) dandelion greens, mizuna, or arugula, tough stems removed – we only used frisee lettuce in our version

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
½ cup bacon fat (If you don't .get enough rendered fat from frying the bacon, add enough olive oil to make up the quantity)
1-2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
¼ cup sherry-wine vinegar
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

FOR THE BACON: Cut each strip of bacon into 4 pieces. In a skillet, over I medium-low heat, cook the bacon until cooked all the way through but not crisp. Drain it on a paper towel, and reserve the fat.

FOR THE CROUTONS: Cut the loaf of bread in half and reach in beneath the crust to pull out i'/2-2-inch pieces of bread. Place the bread chunks on a I baking sheet, drizzle them with the olive oil, and toss well Toast them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until they're lightly browned, shaking the pan occasionally to ensure they're evenly baked. When the croutons are cool enough to handle, rub them with the garlic clove and set aside.

TO COOK THE EGGS: Place the eggs in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Bring them to a boil, and then turn down the heat to a low simmer. Sim¬mer the eggs for 5 minutes, then plunge them into a large bowl of ice water for a minute or so. Take them out as soon as they're cool enough to handle.

In a huge bowl toss to combine the radicchio, frisee, dandelion greens, toasted bread, and bacon.

TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: In a medium-sized skillet, over medium heat, warm the bacon fat (and olive oil, if necessary). Add the' shallots, and I cook them for 2-3 minutes, until they just begin to sizzle. Whisk in the vinegar, salt, and pepper, and cook for about i minute. Whisk in the mustard, and cook another 30 seconds. Remove the vinaigrette from the heat, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour most of the vinaigrette over the salad, and toss well to combine. Cut the top 1/2 inch off the eggs and, using a spoon, scoop them out of the shells in large spoonfuls into the bowl. Pile the salad onto 4 plates, and driz¬zle the remaining vinaigrette over each.