Secret Frisee Salad With Blue Cheese Bacon And Hazelnuts Recipes

SMOKED SALMON, CRISPY BACON, AND MAYTAG BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Place the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook until brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan, drain on paper towels, and reserve.
• In a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, combine the egg, mustard, vinegar, and garlic. Puree until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture is thick. With the machine running add 4 ounces of the blue cheese and the buttermilk. Season the dressing with salt, pepper, and pepper sauce.
• In a mixing bowl, toss the spinach and red onions with as much dressing, as desired. Season the salad with salt and pepper. Mound the greens in the center of each plate. Crumble the salmon over the greens. Sprinkle each salad with the reserved crispy bacon, and remaining blue cheese. Garnish with the quartered eggs and serve immediately.
• In a small bowl combine the salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne. Season the salmon on all sides with the spice mixture. Wrap the entire seasoned fillet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
• Prepare a stovetop smoker according to the manufacturer's directions.
• Unwrap the salmon and place skin side down on the rack in the smoker. Place the smoker over medium heat (or as directed by the manufacturer), cover, and cook until the salmon is firm and flakes easily, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the salmon from the smoker and cool.

FRISEE SALAD WITH EGG AND BACON

Steps:

• In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute the bacon until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Turn the heat off and whisk the shallots into the bacon grease. There should be about 1/4 cup of bacon grease; if it's shy of that amount, add some extra-virgin olive oil.
• In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and Dijon until emulsified. Add in the bacon grease mixture and whisk. Whisk in the salt and pepper.
• To poach the eggs: Fill a nonstick skillet with about 2 inches of water and bring it to the barest simmer over medium heat; add a little vinegar if using. Crack the eggs, slipping them gently into the water one at a time, and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently scoop the eggs from the water and blot dry with a paper towel.
• In a large salad bowl, toss the frisee with the dressing and bacon. Divide the lettuce among 4 serving bowls and top each with an egg and a sprinkle of chives.

PEAR AND FRISEE SALAD WITH BACON AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 9 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add 2 tablespoons bacon drippings to a large bowl. (If drippings measure less than 2 tablespoons, supplement with oil.) Whisk in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
• Add frisee, pears, and parsley to bowl and toss to combine. Sprinkle salad with bacon and cheese.

FRISéE AND RADISH SALAD WITH HAZELNUT DRESSING

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add hazelnuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Cool slightly in skillet.
• Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain and reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat. Break bacon into 1-inch pieces.
• Purée hazelnuts (with any remaining cooking oil), vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining vegetable oil, and reserved bacon fat in a blender just until nuts are finely chopped (dressing will be thick and slightly chunky).
• Toss frisée, radishes, and bacon with dressing.