Brown-Butter Creamed Winter Greens
By: Yuna Wu
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 5:14pm

Ingredients




3/4 stick unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
3 1/2 pounds mixed winter greens such as collards, mutard greens, and
6 ounces slab bacon, any rind discarded and bacon cut into ¼ inch thick slices, the cut c
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cider vinegar, or to taste

Preparation

1 Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minutes. 2 Add milk in a stream, whisking, then add shallot, bayleaf, and peppercorns and bring to a boil, whisking. 3 Simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. 4 Strain bechamel sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids, and cover surface with parchment paper. 5 Discard stems and center ribs from greens, chop coarsely. 6 Cook lardons in a heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown but not crisp, about 8 minutes. 7 Drain on a paper towel and pour off fat. 8 Heat remaining 1/2 stick butter in pot over medium-low heat until bronwed and ragrant, about 2 mninutes, then cook onion, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. 9 Increase heat to medium-hgih, then stir in greens, 1 handful at a time, letting each handful wilt before adding next. 10 Add bechamel, cream, garlic, red-pepper flakes, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and boil, uncovered, stirring, until sauce coats greens and greens are tender, about 10 minutes. 11 Stir in lardons, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

About


From Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene