Monthly Archives: May 2011
French Fridays with Dorie: Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad
Last weekend, I went to Delaware to attend a surprise party for my cousin’s birthday. It was a milestone birthday, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to help celebrate. It was a blast to spend the afternoon having lunch and catching up with family and family friends. The bonus of the weekend was that I flew in and out of Baltimore, so I also had an extended visit with my sister Jane (and a brief visit with my other sister Jennifer, but only at the party).
My sister Jane lives on a farm, though she, personally, does little in the way of farming. Her father-in-law takes charge of the agriculture and animal husbandry going on there. It is peak asparagus season in Maryland. Although Jane and I didn’t have time to cook together this trip, I was fortunate to be able to stash a bundle of freshly picked asparagus spears from their garden in my luggage. Perfect for this week’s FFwD (French Fridays with Dorie) recipe: Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad!
Freshly Picked Asparagus
I really loved last week’s spinach and bacon quiche, so I’m not sure what superlative to use for this week’s salad which I loved even more, by leaps and bounds. True confessions, I do love salad for dinner. I made the full recipe and split it between the two of us for dinner, two eggs each. This salad had so many different flavors and textures. There was the piquant vinaigrette on the salad greens, the salty bacon, the grassy asparagus, the runny eggs, all topped with toasty walnuts. It was having a party in my mouth.
Busy Stovetop
My only gripe about this recipe is the eggs. First, I wish my eggs had been a little runnier. I cooked the eggs for the recommended 6 minutes. I’m thinking maybe I didn’t run them under cold water for long enough. They weren’t hard-boiled, but they were a little past soft-boiled. In any case, I thought that the egg part was fussy. The eggs were boiled, peeled, and warmed in bacon fat. Next time, I’ll just poach the eggs, which will be slightly less attractive, but easier for me (I don’t really like peeling boiled eggs).
I liked the vinaigrette so much that I made it again later in the week for tossing with more salad. I think it will get rolled into the salad dressing repertoire.
As I said, I adored this salad. Asparagus season is short, so I’m excited to read about any substitutions the other FFwD bloggers might have tried. You can check out their posts by following the links from French Fridays with Dorie. You can find the recipe in the cookbook, Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table.
French Fridays with Dorie: Spinach and Bacon Quiche
TGIF! Friday morning means one more day of work for the week. Also, it means one more sleep until I go to Maryland for a quick overnight visit to see my sisters and my Dad and other family. And, of course, French Fridays with Dorie, which means it’s time to talk about this week’s recipe for this on-line cooking group.
Every week brings a different feeling of anticipation. It varies between excitement, curiosity, ambivalence, and dread. I was enthusiastic about this week’s choice: Spinach and Bacon Quiche (page 160 from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table).
I love quiche, particularly spinach quiche. Dorie’s version with bacon was a different twist from the way I usually make it (from Julia Child), and I made some variations on Dorie’s version. I truly enjoy making pastry crust. It’s a baking feat I have mastered. I have to admit that I substituted my own go-to pastry crust recipe (actually Mark Bittman’s) for Dorie’s since it works better for me.
I was a little light on the spinach because the huge box from the store turned out to weight only 7 ounces, not the ten called for. Spinach cooks down so much, so I was worried my shell wouldn’t be filled enough, but it was fine. I also opted to lighten it, using half-and-half instead of cream. Finally, I was out of Parmesan, but found some aged Gouda in the cheese drawer. Aged Gouda is a favorite at our house and I thought it would complement the smoky bacon nicely.
I do love how spinach quiche is more filling than custard. It’s so pretty when filling the shell, and then even prettier once browned in the oven.
My first bite cried out BREAKFAST! It must have been the bacon that triggered that reaction. However, this will be lunch and dinner fare for us. With a side salad, this makes a perfect meal, filling but not too heavy.
After my initial enthusaism, the end result was not disappointing, it was GREAT! This was my favorite FFwD recipe in a while. My usual spinach quiche recipe is topped with Gruyère, and I think that would also work well on top of this bacony version. I can’t wait to make it again.
You can also check out the links for other bloggers who made this quiche at French Fridays with Dorie. I love to read about their variations and make notes of my favorite ideas for “next time”. We don’t post the recipes, but consider getting your own copy of the book, Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. Maybe you’ll even want to cook along with us on Fridays. You’ll enjoy it, I promise.
Next week, it’s bacon again as part of Bacon, Egg, and Asparagus Salad, another recipe I’m excited about.
A Plateful of Happiness 