By Kristen Kuchar
The shaved kale and apple salad from Boulder’s OAK at Fourteenth has been a long-time customer favorite because of its balanced textures and sweetness from candied almonds and apples. It also features acidity from lemon, richness from grana padano, an aged Italian cheese, and a touch of spice from a dusting of togarashi.
A recommended cocktail pairing is The Western Slope, featuring Woody Creek Mary’s Gin, CapRock Pear Eau de Vie, lemon, egg white and Angostura. Collin Griffith, beverage director at OAK at Fourteenth, says the smooth, rich acidity of the cocktail complements the texture of the salad.
“The cocktail also plays off the acidity of the lemon as well as the bright, fresh sweetness of pear and the floral notes from gin,” Griffith said. “The egg white adds a velvety texture to oppose the bright acidity and crunch of the salad.”
Shaved Apple and Kale Salad
6 tbsp whole almonds
2 tbsp granulated sugar
3 cups very thinly sliced stemmed lacinato kale (from 1 small bunch)
6 tbsp grated grana padano cheese
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp togarashi (Japanese seven-spice blend)
2 small honeycrisp apples, very thinly sliced
Salt, to taste
To make candied almonds: Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Bring the almonds to a simmer in a small pot of water. Immediately strain the almonds, transfer them to a baking sheet (lined with a non-stick baking mat, if you have one), and dust with the sugar. Bake, stirring after the first 10 minutes and then again after every 5 minutes, until the sugar is hard and caramelized. It should take about 30 minutes. Let the almonds cool (they’ll crisp as they do), then cut into quarters.
Toss almonds with the kale, cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, togarashi and apple slices in a large bowl until well combined. Taste and season with salt, if necessary.
Western Slope
1 oz Woody Creek Mary’s gin
1 oz CapRock Pear Eau de Vie (from Jack Rabbit Hill Farm)
3/4 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz simple syrup (1:1)
Egg white from one egg
Bitters
Lemon wheel (garnish)
Add all drink ingredients into a shaker and vigorously dry-shake (with no ice) to emulsify the egg whites. Fill shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Double-strain into a glass. Garnish with lemon wheel.
This story is in our January-February print issue. Click here to read the full magazine.