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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.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Marinating Time 1 hour
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine French
Servings 8 people

Equipment

  • Candy Thermometer

Ingredients
  

Mushroom Confit

  • 1 cup olive oil divided
  • 2 shallots halved and sliced
  • 227 g (8 oz) cremini mushrooms sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic smashed
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 1/2 lemon zest of
  • 1 tsp green peppercorns*

Blistered Red Grapes

  • 1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme

Mushroom Confit Kale Salad

  • 1 bunch kale stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 cup oil from the Mushroom Confit
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 batch Mushroom Confit
  • 1 batch Blistered Red Grapes
  • 1/2 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
  • 200g (7 oz) Camboloza cheese thinly 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