This is one of those cooking group picks I was sort of ambivalent about before. I really don't like asparagus but really love bacon and eggs. And, I have been wanting to try a salad where the egg is a main player and not just an extra, chopped up and scattered about.
While simple, this dish is one of those that has lots of little steps and results in quite a few dirty dishes. Bacon is fried and then set aside. I always chop my bacon before frying because I can get more in the pan and more bacon is always a good thing. Eggs are soft boiled for exactly six minutes, left to cool and then painstakingly peeled. Does anyone have any tips or tricks for making peeling boiled eggs easier? The last few times I have boiled eggs, I have ended up with the saddest looking eggs because I have so much difficulty removing the shell.Asparagus is cooked in a shallow pan of water and a vinagarette made. The most interesting step in this recipe involved taking the boiled eggs and lightly cooking them in the warmed bacon grease. I have to say that the end result was less interesting. The bacon fat added some more flavor to the salad, but really didn't enhance the egg much in my opinion. I vaguely remember Dorie saying to toss the asparagus in the vinegarette but I just drizzled it directly over the greens.
I'm glad I tried this recipe to verify I still don't like asparagus and to try the runny egg over a salad thing, but overall I wasn't impressed.
It's okay to be honest and say you don't like something, I'm sure you won't offend anyone, least of all Dorie. As for the eggs, I find that the eggs peel cleanest when it's a few (at least 4) days old...ironically, fresh eggs are the hardest to peel and the shells always stick to the whites!
ReplyDeleteAfter boiling, I placed my eggs in an ice bath instead of just running them over with cold water and waited well over an hour before even looking at them. It's easier to get to the skin and peel them in one clean swipe after they've had a chance to cool off. The yolk, to my surprise, remained perfectly oozy.
ReplyDeleteIt's ok! The taste police won't come get you (I know I am personally grateful for that...)
ReplyDeleteIf I have hard boiled eggs - I usually crack them then gently run a spoon between the shell and the egg and that usually works. On these soft-boiled eggs, not so much :-)
Ha! Kudos for trying the recipe. It's good when a recipe can confirm a previous inclination one way or another!
ReplyDeleteI liked this one, but I don't think I'd make it again, so you are not alone in being underwhelmed! Hats off to you for trying it anyway, even though you started out not liking some of the ingredients.
ReplyDeleteSorry this one didn't sing to you - it's beautiful, though! :)
ReplyDeleteI loved the overall effect, but agree that coating the egg in bacon grease is really not something I'd do again. Soft boiled eggs are perfect on their own!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you...I didn't love this salad. I enjoyed the asparagus and bacon, but didn't like the runny egg. I also had a hard time peeling my egg. Glad I tried this recipe, but it probably won't be making a repeat appearence at my house.
ReplyDeleteIt's OK not to love every recipe. It's good you tried it though. Sometimes the recipes are surprising, but when they aren't, there's always next week.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Betsy - it's great that you tried it, even if you didn't end up loving it. Though I haven't loved every recipe we've done, I find I learn something every week - not just from AMFT, either - I love how we've all been learning from each other.
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