"Put An Egg On It" Salad

I am generally a fan of topping most things with an egg: pizza, burgers, and salads to name a few.  After coming back from Seattle with a pound of chanterelle mushrooms, we used half for our scallop dinner and I needed to find a use for the other half.  I enjoyed the arugula salad that I made earlier in the month so much that I decided to make it again.  This time with the Seattle mushrooms and topped with a couple of poached eggs to make a meal out of it.

For the salad you will need:

3 cups arugula

1 shallot, chopped

1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon dijon

1 tablespoon vinegar (I used balsamic)

1 tablespoon white wine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup croutons

2 eggs

Preheat the oven to make the croutons if you are making the homemade kind, it only takes about 20 minutes. While the croutons bake, bring a pot of water to simmer with a few tablespoons of vinegar.  Our stove takes forever to heat up so this is always one of my first steps.

Next, rinse the arugula and place in a bowl for later.  Heat a pan with a drop of olive oil on medium-high heat and saute.  

Cook until golden brown and delicious.  Let cool for  just a minute and then add to the arugula.

By now, the croutons should be done.  Allow to cool a bit and add to the arugula and mushrooms.

To make the dressing, put the pan back on the heat and add a bit more olive oil.  Sautee the shallot and garlic for a couple of minutes.  Then add a splash of white wine to the pan and deglaze.  Add the vinegar and dijon and stir.  Work quickly because the dressing reduces quickly.  Mix the dressing with the salad, then move the salad to a plate.

Finally, it's time to poach the eggs.  Poached eggs are not the easiest eggs to make, but they are so tasty.  I am still working on perfecting my technique.  To be on the safe side, crack the eggs into ramekins.  This makes it much easier to add them to the water later on.   

Unfortunately, my photographer (and wife) was out of town when I made this so I couldn't capture the whole process.  To get started, swirl the simmering water with a slotted spoon.  The purpose is to create a whirlpool so that when you drop the egg in the water, the whites wrap around the yolk.  Gently drop the egg in the water (directly in the center of the whirlpool) and continue to gently stir.  

After a couple of minutes at the most, the eggs should be set on the outside, and still have a runny yolk. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place on top of the salad.  Season with salt and pepper.

Personally, I love a runny yolk and I think that it makes an even better dressing.  Bon Appetit.