Monday Meals Part One : Lunch

Monday was our last full day with our guests, Peter and Jill. They went to the outdoor market across the river the day before and found all kinds of good stuff, including a bunch of cheeses, for us to enjoy.

Salad with lardons and poached egg.

Peter's plan for lunch on Monday was to make a large salad of frisée and lardons, topped with poached eggs. He prepared the lettuce and dressed it with vinaigrette in a large bowl, then mixed in smoked lardons that he had blanched and sautéed. He mounded the salad mixture on large plates and topped each with a poached egg or two.

The eggs were perfectly done; the warm yolks oozed down onto the salad the moment we pierced them, making for tangy, rich, and delectable mouthfuls.

Four tartelettes tartiflette.

Alongside this, we served four tartelettes tartiflette that Ken had found in a local deli. These were little puff pastries topped with diced potato in a cream and cheese sauce and a slice of smoked bacon. A perfect comfort-food counterpoint to the crisp brightness of the salad.

And this was just the prélude to the evening meal...