Why It Works
- Rubbing the kale leaves with oil helps tenderize them.
- Oven-drying fresh grapes produce plump and juicy "raisins" with a lot more character than the conventional kind.
Sometimes the difference between a merely average salad and a great one is making just one component extraordinary. Take this kale salad as an example, in which I've paired the sturdy greens with toasted walnuts, blue cheese, and dried fruit, a classic combo that's guaranteed to be... pretty good. But instead of using store-bought dried fruit, like apricots or raisins, I grabbed some fresh red seedless grapes and put them in a low oven. What I ended up with were incredibly plump and juicy "raisins," which retained some of their freshness even as the grapes shriveled and concentrated in sweetness and flavor.
It takes slightly more effort and a few extra hours (mostly unattended), but the result is a salad that reaches much greater heights, each bite a surprise and a pleasure.
Oven-Drying the Grapes
I tried a couple of different methods of oven-drying the grapes based on tips I found online. One claimed that blanching the grapes first would create tiny fissures in the skins that would speed dehydration in the oven later. I found that this didn't make much of a difference. Another said that cutting the grapes in half, exposing their interiors, would accelerate the process. That made sense to me in theory, but a real-world test revealed that whole grapes didn't take much longer than the halved ones to become nicely shriveled—the difference was small enough that I don't think the hassle of cutting them in half is warranted.
That's all good news, since it means your best bet is also the easiest: Pop the whole grapes into a low oven—either 200°F (95°C) if the convection setting is on, or 225°F (110°C) if not—and, in about three hours, they should be nicely dehydrated, while still retaining a trace of their former juicy bite. It's an extremely hands-off process, and burning the grapes isn't much of a risk at such low temperatures, so, despite the time involved, there's not much effort or attention needed.
Assembling the Salad
Assembling the rest of the salad is easy-peasy. The most important thing to know is that kale improves greatly if you rub the leaves with oil first. As Kenji has written before, it's the oil in a vinaigrette that softens and tenderizes hardy green leaves like kale, not the vinegar. By pre-applying a light coating of oil, we can get a jump start on softening those kale leaves and reducing their toughness.
For the blue cheese, you have a lot of options. In this salad, I prefer one that's sweet-salty, with a slight creaminess. A French Bleu d'Auvergne is a good choice, as is Cashel Blue or Maytag Blue. Personally, I'd avoid a very crumbly, spicy blue, since I think it'd be a little too intense with the kale, and I'd also steer clear of overly soft and sweet blues, like Gorgonzola Dolce (otherwise one of my favorites—just not for this purpose).
The real interest in this salad lies in the interplay between the plump dehydrated grapes, the nutty roasted walnuts, and the funky cheese, all held aloft in the arms of those kale leaves. That means keeping the dressing simple and classic, using our basic recipe made with olive oil, white wine vinegar, shallot, garlic, and mustard. It does everything it needs to, adding moisture and enough tartness to brighten things up—especially important here, given the rich creaminess of the cheese and intense sweetness of the grapes—but not competing with the salad's star ingredients.
There's only room for so much extraordinary in one salad bowl, after all.
January 2017
Recipe Details
Kale Salad With Oven-Dried Grapes, Toasted Walnuts, and Blue Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing baking sheet and massaging kale leaves
- 12 ounces (340g) red seedless grapes (about 1 large bunch; see note)
- 12 ounces (340g) kale leaves, hard ribs removed and leaves cut into large pieces
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups walnut halves (4 ounces; 115g)
- 4 ounces (115g) creamy, salty-sweet blue cheese, such as Bleu d'Auvergne, Cashel Blue, or Maytag Blue, crumbled
- 1 recipe simple vinaigrette
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 225°F (110°C) or 200°F (95°C) if using convection. Very lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil, then scatter grapes all over. Cook in oven, checking periodically for doneness, until grapes are nicely shriveled and semi-dried but still slightly plump, about 3 hours. Let cool. Use a thin metal spatula to free any grapes that are stuck to the baking sheet.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, drizzle kale leaves with just enough olive oil to coat very lightly, then season with salt. Using your hands, massage kale leaves all over with oil, making sure to coat all surfaces and kneading with your hands to help break down the tougher pieces, about 2 minutes.
In a medium skillet, heat walnuts over medium-high heat, tossing frequently, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, toast nuts in the microwave following these directions. Let cool, then crumble roughly in your hands.
When ready to serve, toss kale with oven-dried grapes, walnuts, and cheese. Drizzle with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat, tossing to combine. Season with salt and pepper and toss in more vinaigrette if desired. Serve.
Special Equipment
Notes
You can make a double or triple batch of oven-dried grapes to maximize your oven usage. Store the cooled dried grapes in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.