A taste of Williamsburg

Sometimes when i'm in Williamsburg I like to pretend that i'm not a full-time student and treat myself to a meal at the Blue Talon Bistro. It is definitely not budget friendly, but it is too good to resist. My favorite starter there is the grilled asparagus salad. "A selection of vinaigrette dressed field greens with lightly grilled pencil asparagus a toasted Brie crouton, smoked bacon lardons and a soft poached egg."

I can't really say that I miss Williamsburg; but I do miss my friends, class, and the Blue Talon. In honor of that I decided to make my own spin on their grilled asparagus salad. I used a recipe I found online and tweaked it to make it more of a salad. I used it as a side to my pan-seared tilapia entree.

Pan-Seared Tilapia (2 servings)
2 fillets of Tilapia
1/2 cup of flour
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Rinse off the tilapia fillets and pat them dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of each fillet with salt and pepper. Place the flour on a plate, press each fillet into the flour to coat and shake off the excess flour. Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook on each side for about 4 minutes. Rub the butter on the fillets once they are done cooking.


Poached egg and asparagus salad (2 servings)
2 eggs
10 stalks of asparagus
2 pieces of bacon
1 1/2 cups of arugula
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons coarsely grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

Break the eggs into 2 individual containers. Fill a large, low-sided pan with water, and add vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add two pieces of bacon to a skillet and cook until crisp. When it is done cooking, put it on a paper towel and let it cool down. Once it is cooled down, break it up into small pieces.

Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add asparagus spears, and cook 3–4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove asparagus with tongs, and set aside.

Dry the medium saucepan. Add olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Add garlic, and sauté about 1 minute. Turn off heat; add butter, and swirl pan. Add lemon juice, parsley, remaining salt, and pepper; swirl pan again to combine. Add asparagus and 1 tablespoons Parmesan; then toss with lemon-butter sauce to coat.

Slowly pour each egg into the boiling poaching water; cook 2 minutes. Turn off heat, and remove pan from burner. Divide asparagus among 2 plates.

Remove the eggs from water with a slotted spoon, 1 at a time, blotting bottom of spoon on towel to absorb excess moisture. Place each eggs on each mound of asparagus and arugula. Pour any remaining sauce over each serving, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan and bacon. Serve immediately.