Harvest Kale Salad with Pears + Pumpkin Cornbread Croutons
This salad hums with the flavors of the season so harmoniously. I would've never thought to combine kale and pears but I had the best salad the other day at Deru with massaged kale in this creamy tahini dressing with chunks of pear and sunflower seeds and it was surprisingly so good! I took that combo and ran with it, adding all the Fall goods along the way. The pumpkin cornbread croutons are kinda the star here, to be honest. They aren't overly pumpkin-y but add a subtle sweetness and the perfect crunch to the salad. I made an easy honey mustard vinaigrette to drizzle over and called it a day. You could add some roasted chicken or even roasted veggies and make it a meal.
Harvest Kale Salad with Pears + Pumpkin Cornbread Croutons
serves 6
salad
1 bunch kale, washed + roughly chopped (curly or lacinato)
1 c brussels sprouts, washed and thinly sliced (about 10 brussels sprouts)
1/2 c pomegranate arils
1 bartlett pear, cored and thinly sliced
pumpkin cornbread croutons (recipe below)
honey mustard vinaigrette (recipe below)
honey mustard vinaigrette
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 T honey
1 T dijon mustard
1 T whole grain mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
pumpkin cornbread croutons
1 c canned pumpkin purée
1 cup whole milk
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 T honey
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 c yellow cornmeal
1/2 c all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 T softened butter (for buttering baking dish)
1 T olive oil (for drizzling on croutons)
salt (for sprinkling on croutons)
make the cornbread croutons
Preheat oven to 400 °F. Butter a 9x13 in baking dish and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin purée, milk, melted butter, honey, and eggs together until combined. In another bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet until fully incorporated. Add the batter to the buttered baking dish and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until golden and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool until it's cool enough to the touch to handle. Keep oven on in the meantime. Turn the cornbread out onto a cutting board and slice into 1 inch cubes. Place on a half sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy on all sides. Allow to cool before adding to salad.
assemble the salad
Whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Toss the kale, brussels sprouts, pomegranate seeds together with as much vinaigrette as you'd like. Top the salad with pear slices and croutons. Enjoy!
*cornbread recipe slightly adapted from NY Times Cooking
