Saffron and Honey

Kale, sunchoke, and pear gratin

January 31, 2013 — balsamic vinegar, Dinner, gratin, jerusalem artichokes, kale, Markets, Olive oil, pear, sunchokes, walnuts

What can be more wintery or comforting than a gratin? And this one combines all of my favorite winter ingredients in one gorgeous, cheesy bite. Okay, probably more like a lot of bites.

I used to not really like sunchokes though, looking back, I realize it was more the case of not knowing what to do with them. But now I love their slightly nutty, earthy crunch.

Tips: Use whatever pears are in season and taste the sweetest. Pick firm ones though, you want them to soften in the oven rather than already go in soft!

In terms of nuts, I used fresh red walnuts because I came across them at the market and they are delicious; however, regular walnuts would be great too.

Kale, sunchoke, and pear gratin

You’ll need:

• 2 cups kale, stemmed, shredded
• 5-6 sunchokes (depending on size), washed and peeled
• 1 large pear
• 1/4 cup red walnuts
• 1/3 cup grated mild cheese (I used monterey jack)
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar (I used a fig variety)
• salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375F. In a gratin dish, layer the kale on the bottom.

2. Core and slice the pear, not too thinly, and fan the slices out over the kale. Drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinegar.

3. Wash sunchokes well and slice into thin rounds. Layer the rounds – do your best to overlap them – over the kale and pear. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with plenty of olive oil.

4. Top with cheese and walnuts and bake for about 30-35 minutes until golden and bubbly on top. The kale will wilt so, the gratin will get ‘lower’ in the dish – don’t worry, that’s perfectly fine!