Creamed Kale with Caramelized Shallots

*Post by Angela.

Oh, my God, you guys. Can you believe it's already November? The holiday season is upon us once again, which means it's time to dust off our red & green wrapping paper, start stockpiling presents, finalize our travel plans and begin auditioning dishes for Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't know if you've ever cooked a Thanksgiving meal with multiple components for a large group of people, but if you have, you know that the key to not going insane and tearing your hair out is very  careful planning. Every year, well in advance of the holiday, I create a list of approximately what I want to have at dinner, then I start trying out dishes to see what does and doesn't work, both taste-wise and time/space-wise. By the time we're T-minus 4 days to T-day, I have a very precise list which includes all the dishes I'm making and what times I have to start making them.

First up to the plate is this recipe for creamed kale with caramelized shallots from Bobby Flay. I'm working through an infatuation with kale these days, and I'd like to figure it into the menu this year.

List of ingredients:

• 9 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 10 shallots, peeled and sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 pounds green kale, center stalk removed, and coarsely torn into pieces

First thing I did was caramelize the shallots. You know what? 10 shallots is a lot of shallots. I'm just saying give yourself some extra time to prep. Once they were all sliced, I melted 4 tbsp of the butter and the 2 tbsp of sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. I added the shallots, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and cooked until they were a lovely golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. I set them aside to wait for the rest of the dish.

Next, I brought a big pot of salted water to a boil, and warmed the milk in a small saucepan. In yet another (medium-sized) pot, I heated the remaining 5 tbsp of butter over medium low heat, then added the onions and cooked until soft, about 3-4 minutes. I whisked the flour into the butter and onion combo to make a roux. Unlike the roux I made for my gumbo the other day, I only cooked it about 3-4 minutes. 

 

I gradually whisked in the warm milk and continued to cook, whisking constantly, until I had a nice, thick, creamy sauce, making sure I seasoned with just a pinch of nutmeg and plenty of salt and pepper. Then I removed the pot from heat and covered it to keep it warm.

Sometime while I was making the cream sauce, I added the kale to the big pot of boiling, salted water and cooked until the kale was very tender, about 15 minutes.

I drained the kale, added it to the cream sauce, stirred and cooked it over medium heat about 2 more minutes. I served it warm, topped with the caramelized shallots.

I really enjoyed this dish, but I'm not sure it'll make the final Thanksgiving cut. It wasn't...kale-y enough for me, and in fact, didn't taste too much different than creamed spinach (which I also love). But I really like the addition of the caramelized shallots which add such a nice little note of sweetness to this creamy, rich dish. I'm going to put this one on the MAYBE list for now.