Fall

Kale Salad with Thai Maple Bacon Brittle

Name: Kale Salad with Thai Maple Bacon Brittle
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 6 pieces hardwood smoked maple bacon; 2 tablespoons sambal oelek (thai chili garlic paste); 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon maple syrup (the real stuff!); 1 bunch kale, stems removed; 1 large honeycrisp apple; 4 ounces of your favorite semi-soft cheese (goat, bleu, feta); 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup

by: lorigoldsby

March 29, 2012

4.3

3 Ratings

Kale Salad with Thai Maple Bacon Brittle

Serves 6

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

This winter i was having a ball with my umami bacon sliders...At one holiday party a neighbor said, "For Christmas, all I want is a pound of this!" Well, spring has sprung and we are looking for new ways to use the bacon. I was dithering between a salad of roasted brussel sprouts with grapes and yogurt or a salad with kale and honeycrisp apples when i saw a recipe on "Tasting Table" and they called their bacon crumbles "brittle"...very different interpretations of similar ingredients and I just loved the name! you can check out their version at www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/chefs_recipes/7848 or my umami bacon sliders at www.food52.com/recipes/15267_umami_sliders —lorigoldsby

What You'll Need

Ingredients

Thai Bacon Brittle
6 pieces hardwood smoked maple bacon
2 tablespoons sambal oelek (thai chili garlic paste)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup (the real stuff!)

Kale And Honeycrisp Salad
1 bunch kale, stems removed
1 large honeycrisp apple
4 ounces of your favorite semi-soft cheese (goat, bleu, feta)
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup

Directions

To make your Thai Bacon Brittle: cook bacon on paper towels in microwave for 3 minutes. (Bacon will not be brown!) Pat dry and transfer to a wire rack placed on top of a lipped baking pan.
mix sambal, brown sugar and maple syrup to form a thick paste. Using a spoon or pastry brush, glaze the top of the bacon. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 4 minutes, turn over and glaze the other side, continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
To prepare dressing: Please adjust the ratio of vinegar/oil/syrup to your preferred level of sweetness/oil. But this is a wonderful trinity of flavors! If you aren't yet a kale lover, try it with brussel sprouts!

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drbabs
LeBec Fin
BoulderGalinTokyo
lorigoldsby
AntoniaJames

I learned to cook with my Gran. I can still see her reading a recipe and figuring out how she would make it better. She was fearless about substituting ingredients--but also knowledgeable. She approached food in the same way she built her antique business--appreciate quality ingredients and workmanship, but don't be a snob. I think I carry those same beliefs in my approach to cooking. I love family style dinners, I love a fancy ladies' luncheon with my wedding china, or a backyard seafood boil to celebrate my husband's birthday...I love to share food with others.

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7 Reviews

drbabs March 30, 2012

yum

LeBec F. March 30, 2012

I admire the flavors combo, but this is raw or cooked? I really like kale, but not raw.

lorigoldsby March 30, 2012

Oops sorry LBF and Boulder...contest is closed so I can't edit the recipe until CP/EP are announced. Go ahead and blanch, or slightly wilt your kale if you can't get some tender kale....the balance of crunchy apple and bacon brittle gives it a nice " tooth "...I lucked out earlier and found some yummy, tender kale that I shredded to ribbons and used that.

BoulderGalinTokyo March 29, 2012

Wonderful. I agree with AJ you can smell the bacon. How are you preparing the kale, raw or blanced?

lorigoldsby March 29, 2012

Thanks AJ! I hope you enjoy it! The pic of the kale just wasn't as "pretty" as the older pic of the bacon..so I reused it! Maybe the Easter Bunny will leave a better camera in my basket!

AntoniaJames March 29, 2012

That photo is killing me. I can practically smell the bacon, and hear the crackling sound as I bite down on it. ;o)