17 Frisée aux Lardons

Bitterness is a flavour profile that every chef has to deal with at some stage in a career. Younger chefs, whose palates are still developing, could do a lot worse than start with an appreciation of this great French salad which marries the oily umami of bacon with the sharpness of red wine vinegar to produce an unexpected revelation.

Frisée is a French salad type with a faintly bitter flavour and a crunchy leaf that looks like it has overgrown. Don’t be put off by appearance. The r