one of my favorite aspects of blogging is the opportunity it affords to share incredible recipes with those on a quest for what to cook next. i often overwhelm the unfortunate whole foods clerk who nonchalantly asks what i intend to do with the beets i am purchasing. this usually involves detailing each ingredient, what will happen to it and the complete web address or cookbook where he or she can find the recipe. i guess i just assume everyone is always after a good recipe. especially you, dear reader. isn't that why you are here? you want to know how to transform raw kale into a thing of addiction.
every week i hunger for the new post on food52's genius recipes, a column that uncovers exceptional recipes with unlikely twists. kristen miglore brought me northern spy's kale salad--an insanely tasty take on the current kale salad motif. heady, crunchy kale meets velvety, caramelized cubes of butternut squash, toasted almonds (or, in my case, pecans), and a flurry of aged cheddar & pecorino, all wrapped in lemony dressing. i've made it no less than fifteen times since it was published, each time doubling the batch because it keeps all week and seems to get better each day. i was only knocked off my nutritious kale kick by a recipe for lemon cream ice cream that is likely a staple in the diet of botticelli's cherubs. the recipe comes from jeni britton bauer of jeni's splendid ice creams. there are a couple mystery ingredients that magically transform the ice cream into the smoothest concoction that has come out of my fifteen-year-old ice cream maker. a tart lemon syrup rivulets airy cold cream when you first start the ice cream spin cycle. this marriage of opposites is an unexpected delight. i served the ice cream with homemade blueberry sauce and crumbled amaretti cookies mixed with toasted, chopped pine nuts. i may have a genius move or two up my own sleeve.
notes
* find the recipe for northern spy's kale salad here.
* find the recipe for jeni's splendid lemon cream ice cream here. for homemade blueberry sauce simmer 1.5 cups blueberries and 3/4 cup sugar at medium heat for about 7 minutes, until slightly thickened.
* when i made the ice cream, i had some small clumps form when making the base. a quick whir in the blender solved the problem. this is also how i have saved a few batches of ice cream with slightly overcooked egg custards.