This year, we're going on a Rhine River cruise that ends in Paris. We're going to splurge on lunch in the restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
I'd been in Paris for a few days as part of a school orchestra trip when I was fifteen. Our orchestra set up to play in a park. I remember following the bowing of the violinists in the rows ahead of me as the teacher/conductor waved her baton furiously at me and made horrible grimacing faces because I'd forgotten to clip the music to the stand and all those photocopied pages lifted in the wind and blew away across the park. The years-older girl playing beside me just shrugged and laughed.
Afterward...Did I realize how much trouble it would be to make new copies of the music in Paris? If a photocopier could be found, I would be responsible for paying for the copies! I had caused the busy teachers so much trouble!
That night, while the teachers left the students in the hostel alone and went to a bar, some friends and I decided to go view the city at night in the hours before bed-check. We anxiously bought tickets (some in first class, some in third class by mistake) and took the Metro to a stop with a familiar name, Notre Dame. As we stood looking up at the cathedral in the dark, a group of men surrounded us, leap-frogging and shouting things in French we didn't understand.
We clutched our purses, terrified, sure we were about to be robbed or worse. Suddenly, a whistle--and two French gendarmes appeared! The men ran away. We were told something about a curfew, we were to allez immediatement!
The next day, it was hot out, and on our own at lunch break, my friends and I tried to order lemonade at a cafe. We were served glasses of creme de menthe liqueur which made us feel a little sick, but we drank it because we didn't have enough money to order anything more. Paris seemed odd and confusing, and not much fun for 15-year-olds with not much spending money. I knew I'd have to go back.
When I ripped this recipe from the pages of Bon Appetit magazine, a "big trip" was driving 45 minutes north to my sister's, in a Minivan, with the kids strapped into car-seats and Raffi singing from the cassette deck. For lunch, we usually had what the kids liked: ham chops (diced ham),cheese cubes and chopped dill pickles all eaten with the fingers.
So I made this Bistro Salad at home and gave us a taste of lunch in Paris.
I made it with romaine lettuce instead of curly endive, but the three kids still didn't like it at all.
Not even the one who'd once eaten a mouthful of spider plant leaves, which made the lady I called at Poison Control suggest I feed my children more fresh greens.
The kids said the mustard was yucky, the anchovies yuckier!
Why had I made the bacon taste bad?
I got to eat it all myself, while making ham chops, cheese cubes and pickles for the kids.
Serves 8, or 4 as a main course at lunch with a hard-boiled egg.
Dressing:
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. anchovy paste
3/4 tsp. pepper
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. thick-cut side bacon cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
4 cups trimmed French bread cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 head curly endive (or romaine lettuce) washed, drained and torn into bite-size pieces
If you are in a hurry, blend the mustard, lemon juice, anchovy paste, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil in the blender. If you are using a blender, you can also substitute a couple anchovy filets for the paste. The recipe says to whisk the first 4 ingredients together and then gradually whisk in 2/3 cup oil. It then says to season the dressing to taste with salt--I don't do this; I salt the endive or romaine leaves themselves before adding the dressing.
Dressing:
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. anchovy paste
3/4 tsp. pepper
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. thick-cut side bacon cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
4 cups trimmed French bread cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 head curly endive (or romaine lettuce) washed, drained and torn into bite-size pieces
If you are in a hurry, blend the mustard, lemon juice, anchovy paste, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil in the blender. If you are using a blender, you can also substitute a couple anchovy filets for the paste. The recipe says to whisk the first 4 ingredients together and then gradually whisk in 2/3 cup oil. It then says to season the dressing to taste with salt--I don't do this; I salt the endive or romaine leaves themselves before adding the dressing.
The recipe tells you to fry the croutons in the same pan that you use for the bacon, but another way to do the croutons is to mix a bit of the bacon drippings with garlic powder and 1/4 cup olive oil in a bowl, toss the bread cubes in this mixture, and bake the bread cubes in a toaster oven or microwave till crisp.
Dressing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.
Fry bacon in frying pan over medium heat till crisp and brown.
Using slotted spatula, transfer bacon to paper btowels and drain.
Pour off all but 2 tbsp. fat from skillet
Add 1/4 cup oil and garlic to the same skillet and cook over medium heat until garlic is golden, stirring frequently about 5 minutes.
Discard garlic from skillet using slotted spoon.
Add bread to hot skillet and toss to coat in oil mixture.
Cook bread until crisp and golden, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.
Transfer croutons to large bowl.
Add endive or romance lettuce and bacon.
Sprinkle lettuce lightly with salt if you did not salt the dressing, and toss.
Toss again with enough dressing to season to taste.
Divid salad among plates and serve.
For a lunch salad, you can also slice in peeled, chilled, sliced hard-boiled egg.
Dressing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.
Fry bacon in frying pan over medium heat till crisp and brown.
Using slotted spatula, transfer bacon to paper btowels and drain.
Pour off all but 2 tbsp. fat from skillet
Add 1/4 cup oil and garlic to the same skillet and cook over medium heat until garlic is golden, stirring frequently about 5 minutes.
Discard garlic from skillet using slotted spoon.
Add bread to hot skillet and toss to coat in oil mixture.
Cook bread until crisp and golden, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.
Transfer croutons to large bowl.
Add endive or romance lettuce and bacon.
Sprinkle lettuce lightly with salt if you did not salt the dressing, and toss.
Toss again with enough dressing to season to taste.
Divid salad among plates and serve.
For a lunch salad, you can also slice in peeled, chilled, sliced hard-boiled egg.
