Chef Alan Zox gives us a recipe for a warm spring day, a fabulous frisee & Belgian Endive salad.  There’s even a terrific alternative if you want to omit the bacon.  Chef Zox has combined his passion for food with his skills as an educator, running culinary workshops that focus on international cooking and culture. These workshops journey from the old-world cuisines of Italy, France, and Mexico to the newfound tastes of the Middle East, China, and the Pacific Rim.  Check out his website:  https://zoxkitchen.com/ and enjoy Chef Zox’s recipe.

Frisée & Belgian Endive Salad                                                                                                   
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 heads frisée lettuce, outer leaves and root ends discarded (if unavailable, substitute with 2 heads Bibb lettuce, torn into small pieces, mixed with 2 cups chopped baby kale)
2 heads Belgian endive, sliced into circles
3 strips thick bacon lardon, cut into ½-inch chunks
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 Tbsp champagne vinegar
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp honey mustard
1 Tbsp small capers
1 turn freshly ground black pepper
Pinch sea salt
6 fresh large eggs
1 tsp white vinegar

Directions
Gently cut, rinse and dry frisée and endive, and place in a large salad bowl. Sauté lardon (using pork fat or thick bacon) until crispy, and place on paper towels to drain. For a healthier alternative, replace lardon with cauliflower florets tossed with 1 Tbsp olive oil, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika; roast the cauliflower in a 425F oven for 40 minutes and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together oil, red-wine and champagne vinegars, garlic, mustard, capers, black pepper and sea salt; set aside. Using tongs, carefully divide lettuce and crispy chunks of lardon or cauliflower among four to six plates. Dress each salad with 1 heaping tablespoon dressing. For poached eggs, be sure to use very fresh eggs; their white will be thicker. In a medium, 4-inch-deep sauce pan, heat water to a simmer with one teaspoon white vinegar (to help the eggs coagulate). Crack one egg at a time, place it in a small ramekin and pour it into hot, boiling water. Repeat immediately with one more egg, and simmer both for 3 minutes. Remove poached eggs with a slotted spoon, and place one on top of each salad plate. Repeat with remaining eggs, until all six eggs are poached.

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