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Recipe

Spring Salad with Coffee Vinaigrette

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Recipe with Fried Bacon Slices, Croutons and Poached Quail Eggs.

A salad made with coffee? Yes please! This spring salad combines the very best ingredients for the perfect light meal.

Serve this light spring salad with Italian Coppa bacon, croutons and an unusual but delicious vinaigrette made of cold coffee, apple juice and honey mustard for a refreshing change. Mixed leaves garnished with poached quail eggs also make it a feast for the eyes.

Ingredients:

Approx. ½ cup (120 g) mixed spring salad (rocket, baby spinach, cress, dandelion, etc.)
8 slices cut ⅛" thin cut baguette, diagonal cut 
8 slices thinly sliced Coppa (Italian bacon, cut from the neck)
12 fresh quail eggs
Salt
¼ cup (50 ml) white wine vinegar
Parchment paper

For the vinaigrette: 

1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp cold espresso coffee
3 tbsp sweet apple cider
1 tsp grain mustard
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 tbsp virgin olive oil

Preparation:

  1. Whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette except olive oil and taste.
  2. In slow stream, add olive oil and whisk. (Do not use hand blender)
  3. Wash the salad leaves, sort them and spin them dry.
  4. Preheat the oven. Settings: Surround mode / 350° F.
  5. Cut the baguette slices. Lay the slices of baguette and bacon flat separately on a baking tray, place on the third shelf up from the bottom of the oven and toast for 6–7 minutes.
  6. Break each quail egg individually and place in a shot glass or small egg holder or espresso cup.
  7. In a small pan (approx. 7" diameter), bring 1L water to the boil with 2 tsp salt and the white wine vinegar. Once it has come to the boil, reduce the heat to level 1. Create a circle agitation, place the quail eggs gently one at a time into the centre hot, but not boiling water and poach them for 35-45 seconds. Remove the eggs one at the time with a slotted spoon and drain on parchment paper.
  8. Dress the salad leaves with the enough vinaigrette to coat the leaves and distribute between the plates. Add the crostini slices over the top of the salad with bacon slice over bread and two poached eggs on each side. Drizzle with extra vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

 

Tips:

    • Baguettes are easier to slice thinly if they are a day or two old. The easiest way is to use a bread slicing machine.
    • The croutons taste more sophisticated if they are rubbed with the cut surface of a garlic clove after toasting.
    • Be careful when using a conventional cooktop – the water must no longer be boiling when you are poaching the eggs!
    • For the perfect espresso, use Miele Black Edition N°1 Espresso Beans.

     

     

     

     

    Photo by: Wolfgang Kowall and Maya Dalcourt

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