Asparagus, Bacon Hazelnut Vinaigrette, Fried Egg

"Who doesn’t love bacon, plus fried eggs?" asks Chris Siversen, executive chef of Maritime Parc in Jersey City. "This is a great warm weather dish that tempers its richness with the acidity of the vinaigrette. The bacon and its drippings as well as the richness from the runny egg yolk really add depth to ordinary asparagus. The crunch and flavor of the hazelnuts adds yet another dimension."

Serves: 4 people as a side dish

Ingredients

1 large bunch Asparagus, blanched and cut into 2” pieces

¼ lb Bacon cut into Lardons

¼ Cup Hazelnuts- chopped

3 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar

1 small Shallot minced

1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

2 Eggs

¼ cup chopped Italian Parsley

Procedure

Warm a small sauté pan over low heat, add bacon lardons and cook gently until lightly browned and cooked through.  Add the hazelnuts and brown in the bacon drippings alongside the bacon pieces. Reserve the bacon, hazelnuts and the bacon drippings

For the vinaigrette: in a small non reactive bowl start by combining the vinegar, shallot and mustard. Slowly incorporate the oil using a whisk to emulsify the vinaigrette. Add the bacon, hazelnuts and pan drippings into the vinaigrette.

To serve: Warm a medium sized sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot add the asparagus and vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper and warm through long enough for the initial bite from the vinegar mellows.  Add the chopped parsley and place in serving platter.

In a second sauté pan: place over high heat and once hot, spray with nonstick spray and fry two eggs until crisp on the bottom and firm on top but not over cooking egg yolks.  Place on top of asparagus and serve immediately. 

 

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