This is Italian meets French. Panzanella is an Italian bread salad, typically rustic, rough and rugged, while the ruffled egg is French, dainty, cute, like a little purse. I used a French imported brioche to make the bread salad which added an unique sweetness to the dish, countered by a spicy vinaigrette. The flavors are complex, and this one of those meals that can be eaten any time of day.
This is the fifth recipe in a five recipe-10 ingredient challenge from Tabasco. The ten ingredients are explained here along with the rules of the challenge.
Tabasco sauce helps to boost flavor. A good recipe will have a balance of fat, salt and acid, but to take it a step further, heat pushes the flavors. Tabasco has acid, heat and salt which is probably why it’s so popular and sits on so many restaurant tables.
In this recipe I used the brioche, eggs, cherry tomatoes, herbs, maple syrup and cider vinegar. Olive oil was a free ingredient and, of course, Tabasco.
I love salad and there were no greens in this challenge. The idea of an Italian bread salad came to me because I had brioche and eggs to work with. I love using cider vinegar to make a vinaigrette. It’s going to have a sweet profile, but this is balanced by the heat of the Tabasco. This Tabasco vinaigette could easily work on a green salad, perhaps with some smoky bacon and blue cheese.
Typically panzanella is made with Tuscan bread, very crusty, very dense which holds a vinaigrette. I was given brioche to use which is a more delicate, sweeter bread, which paired nicely with sweet cherry tomatoes and ruffled eggs. In some pictures, you will see poached eggs, because I wanted you to have that option. You could also make this with sunny side up eggs. The Perfect Poached Eggs recipe can be found here. This is the second brunch type dish I’ve made for the challenge. If you like this one you’ll love the Eggplant Benedict with Tabasco Hollandaise Sauce. You could even use some of that hollandaise sauce for this dish. Isn’t cooking about making a dish you’re own creation?
I do have a sixth recipe, which I will post tomorrow. One of the ingredients was chocolate and I came up with yet another Italian dish, so please do come back to see how chocolate goes a bit savory.
- 4 cups brioche cubes
- ½ cup vinaigrette, more if you need it
- Basil Leaves
- Ruffled Eggs
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon tabasco
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Fry cubed brioche in hot olive oil, about 20 seconds each side. Cool.
- Toss with Maple Cider Tabasco Vinaigrette
- Add in cherry tomatoes and basil
- Top with Ruffled or Poached eggs
- Garnish
The Five Recipes for the 10 Ingredient Tabasco Challenge
Monday: Grilled Swordfish with Salsa Verde over Tomato Agridolce, Paleo Friendly
Tuesday: Eggplant Benedict with Olive Oil Tabasco Hollandaise Sauce, Paleo Friendly
Wednesday: Savory Eggplant Bread Pudding
Thursday: Swordfish Milanese with Eggplant Tomato Sauce with Tabasco
Friday: Panzanella Bread Salad with French Ruffled Egg, Tabasco Vinaigrette
I was just remember the first time I saw a bread salad in Italy last night. I love the addition of the egg. Looks delish! I am pinning this right now!
Scarlet, This is making me look forward to Italy soon.
Perfect for this hot weekend angela. We eat salads as entrees 5 out of 7 nights a week and I am adding this to my recipe file. Thanks and happy weekend.
Those ruffled eggs are awesome. I’ve never seen them before and I love how they look on the dish. I’d like to dive into this whole bowl for lunch. All of your Tabasco recipes are making me hungry now!
Thanks, Mary