Mushroom Confit Kale Salad with Blistered Red Grapes
Keep the good times rolling with this healthy-ish, holiday-appropriate Mushroom Confit Kale Salad. A mountain of kale gets fancy with the addition of mushroom confit, sweet blistered grapes, crunchy walnuts, and nuggets of creamy cambozola cheese.
1bunchkalestems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
1/2cupoil from the Mushroom Confit
2lemonsjuiced
2clovesgarlicminced
2tbspwhole grain mustard
2tsphoney
1tspsalt
1batchMushroom Confit
1batchBlistered Red Grapes
1/2cupwalnutscoarsely chopped
200g (7 oz)Camboloza cheesethinly sliced
Instructions
For the Mushroom Confit
In a large deep skillet, heat 1/3 cup of olive oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sweat the shallots until just translucent.
Increase the heat to medium and add the mushrooms. Saute until browned, about 7-10 minutes. Toss in the garlic and saute the cloves until lightly browned, about 3 minutes more.
Place the thyme, bay leaves, lemon zest, and peppercorns on top of the mushrooms. Add the remaining oil and add a large pinch of salt. Heat the oil to 170°F. Use a candy thermometer to help you measure and maintain the oil's temperature. Let the mushrooms cook for 20 minutes.
Take the mushrooms off of the heat. Remove the aromatics and pour the mushrooms into a fine-mesh strainer. Drain the oil into a waiting bowl and set aside for later use. Let the mushrooms and oil cool completely.
For the Grapes
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place the grapes in a large bowl and add the olive oil, salt and ground pepper. Toss to coat.
Transfer the dressed grapes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lay the sprigs of thyme on top and place the baking sheet in the oven. Roast the grapes for 15 minutes before turning the oven to broil. Broil for 5 more minutes or until the grapes start to blister.
Take the grapes out of the oven and set aside to cool.
For the Salad
Place the kale in a large bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk to combine the confit oil, lemon juice, garlic, whole grain mustard, honey, and salt. Add as much or as little of this dressing to the kale and toss to coat. Place the salad in the fridge and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour.
When an hour has passed, top the salad with the blistered grapes, mushroom confit, walnuts, and cambozola cheese. Serve immediately with festive flair.
Notes
* If you can't find green peppercorns, don't sweat it. Sub in black peppercorns instead.
Keyword blue cheese, confit, grapes, kale, Mushrooms, salad