One of the things I love about travel is the food. The most important part of a typical travel day is deciding where to eat. For me, it is definitely part of the appeal. But of course, you don’t have to travel to experience the food of the world. So we decided to take advantage of perfect Labour Day weather to enjoy a bit of the south of France on our own patio.

Salad Lyonnaise starts with frisee lettuce – really a type of endive. It is nearly impossible to find, at least around here, but fortunately this year we have some growing in our garden.

Next comes “lardons” but we opted for pancetta, which worked just fine.

Then shallots, fried in olive oil – or if you want to go for an authentic taste, a mix of the pancetta fat and olive oil.

While the shallots cook, prepare croutons, fried in a mixture of olive oil and pancetta fat.

When the shallots begin to brown, deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar to make a hot dressing, and drizzle over the frisee leaves.

Toss well, and arrange on plates with the croutons.

Finally, top with a poached egg, and transfer the plates to the patio. A glass of French rose wine is pretty much essential as far as I am concerned.

The only thing left to do is “enjoy”. Santé.