Version #4–Wilted Frisée Salad
Stuff you’ll need (other than the pasteurized rib eye):
- frisée/curly endive.
- pickled vegetables (see below).
- red potatoes, sous vide processed at 183 F/84 C for about an hour and shocked cold. In the sealed package, they will keep refrigerated for a long time.
- Kalamata olives.
- avocados.
- baguette.
- one egg.
- extra virgin olive oil.
- salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning blend.
Procedure:
Lay the lettuce out on the plate as shown.
Drizzle with EVOO.
Wilt with a propane torch (or broil in the oven) until wilted.
Season lightly.
You can buy Giardiniera at the store or make your own, recipe below. I put cucumbers in, but greens like broccoli and beans will turn black.
- water, 1 cup/225 ml.
- vinegar, 1 cup/225 ml.
- sugar, 1 cup/225 ml (white or brown) and
- 2 Tablespoons salt.
- Coriander seeds, star anise, cardamom, fennel, whatever you like. Cinnamon, yada.
- Bring the solution to a boil, add the carrots and the onions because they take a little longer to cook, return to boil, turn off, add everything else.
- Let it sit on the counter until it is cool enough to put in the fridge.
- We used radishes, peppers, and carrots.
- Arrange the vegetables around the circumference. Set aside.
Grill or toast the baguette slices until crisp. Arrange on the salad at the 6 o’clock position. Arrange the thin sliced meat in the center of the plate, shingled from right to left. There’s a reason for that too, we’ve gone into that before. Set aside for the moment.
Poached eggs are not really poached
Put two cups of COLD water into a bowl. Set aside.
Bring 1 qt. /1 L water and 2 oz/50 ml white vinegar to a boil in a small sauce pan.
Crack the fresh egg into a bowl to make sure the yolk is not broken. Stir the boiling water to create a little whirlpool in the center and pour the egg into the swirl. In case you’re wondering, the motion of the water will prevent the egg from resting on the bottom of the pan. The vinegar will make the egg white gather around the yolk. Every method has a reason. Return the water to a boil and keep on medium high heat–it MUST continue to boil, but not so furiously as to create a hazard. Count out three minutes. Use a slotted spoon to lift the egg out of the boiling water and into the COLD water. This stops the cooking process.
Use the slotted spoon to remove the egg from the cold water and place on top of the toast. Don’t worry, the egg will still be warm.
Drizzle everything with a bit more EVOO and sprinkle a little bit of seasoning over the whole thing. Parsley.
Turn the plate and take another picture to help you remember how awesome you are.
Use a cool knife to cut open the egg and pretend that you are a French chef using Shun knives made in China according to specs created by Lipavi.com.
