Williams Sonoma Williams Sonoma Home Pottery Barn Pottery Barn Teen Pottery Barn Kids West Elm Rejuvenation Mark & Graham GreenRow

Baby Gem and Kale Caesar

Rated 0 out of 5
Be the first to Write a Review

Few things make chef Bobby Flay happier than cooking for his daughter, Sophie. This satisfying salad is featured in the chef's new cookbook all about their favorite recipes, Sundays with Sophie. Baby Gems, better known as Little Gems, are small, crispy versions of romaine lettuce, explains the chef. They’re great in a Caesar salad, and he is a Caesar salad fanatic. Add a big steak, some crusty potatoes and a bottle of big red wine and it’s Steakhouse Night at the Flays’!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 oz. (125 g) country loaf (enough to yield about 2 cups of croutons)
  • 1 lemon
  • 9 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 Tbs. mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
  • 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets
  • 1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 small bunch lacinato kale, ribs and stems removed, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 small head Treviso, leaves separated
  • 1 head Baby Gem lettuce (or romaine heart), leaves separated

Directions

Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C).

Pull the insides from the bread and tear into irregular bite-size pieces. Grate the zest from the lemon, then squeeze the lemon to get 2 Tbs. juice. Set the juice and zest aside.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat 3 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add 4 of the garlic cloves and cook until lightly browned (this will lightly flavor the oil), about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the garlic. Add the torn bread to the pan, season with salt and toss to coat. Transfer the bread to a large baking sheet.

Bake the croutons until golden brown and crispy, about 15 minutes, gently stirring the bread once halfway through the cooking time. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, reserved lemon juice, remaining 2 garlic cloves, the anchovies and 1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the food processor running, slowly stream in the remaining 6 Tbs. olive oil and blend until smooth.

In a medium bowl, combine the kale, half of the reserved lemon zest and 1 Tbs. of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle 3 Tbs. of the dressing around the sides of the bowl, then use tongs to dress the kale. Let the kale stand at room temperature, tossing a few times, for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes to soften it slightly.

Once the kale is softened, add half of the croutons and fold together. In another bowl, combine the Treviso, Baby Gem lettuce, remaining lemon zest and 1 Tbs. of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle 3 Tbs. of the dressing around the sides of the bowl, then use tongs to dress the greens.

Put the Treviso and Baby Gem lettuce on one side of a large serving platter. Add the kale and croutons to the other side of the platter. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and top with the remaining croutons and Parmesan. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from Sundays with Sophie by Bobby Flay (Clarkson Potter, 2022)

  • bvseo_sdk, java_sdk, bvseo-4.0.0
  • CLOUD, getReviews, 9ms
  • REVIEWS, PRODUCT
  • bvseo-msg: The resource to the URL or file is currently unavailable.;