85th Academy Awards Governors Ball Menu
Kale, Grilled Artichoke, Radicchio, Pine Nut, Golden Raisin
Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
With 19 Oscar menus under his belt, Chef Wolfgang Puck has created another inventive bill of fare for the 85th Academy Awards Governors Ball including old favorites, signature smoked salmon creations, and several fashionable new dishes. This year’s menu includes many vegetarian and vegan offerings, as well as items like Kobe Burger with Aged Cheddar & Remoulade and Chicken Pot Pie with Black Truffle. The Chef shares his menu in photos on a page called “A Taste of the Oscars” here. (Check out those Huckleberry Macarons!) But it was the vegan Kale Salad that immediately caught my attention ~ bright winter color and various textures pair with smoky artichoke and a sunny sweet Meyer lemon vinaigrette. I served the salad as a meal, unlike at the Governors Ball, where some 30 to 35 dishes will be served as small bites to over 1600 people.
And The Oscar Goes To:
Raw kale is a bit chewy and not exactly tender, so it is best sliced thin, taking care not to press down and bruise the beautiful curly edges. Mildly bitter and peppery radicchio is also thinly sliced. I used fast & fabulous packaged grilled artichoke hearts from Monterey Farms which are available at Whole Foods Market. Without a recipe, I prepared this salad from the photo ~ tossing kale with radicchio, artichoke hearts, lightly toasted pine nuts, and golden raisins with a Meyer lemon vinaigrette. The plate was garnished with a few Meyer lemon wheels and a sprinkling of nuts and raisins.
Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup meyer lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- grated zest of 1 meyer lemon
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Place olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, sugar, and lemon zest in a jar and shake until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
The 85th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 24th.
UPDATE 3/12/2013
Thanks Chef !
Definitely going with that vinaigrette…I have some kale in the fridge…
And kale is so good for us as well, who wouldn’t enjoy this salad whether they were a star or not.
That’s a beautiful looking salad. I’m imagining the menu at the Governer’s Ball would be amazing xx
Beautiful Salad. I eat a lot of kale, but I’m not fond of the curly kind. I like the lacinato which is flatter, but it’s chewy, needs the rib removed. The dressing looks just perfect for breaking it down.
Yours looks even better than Puck’s!
I love Kale salad since first having it years ago at a place in Brooklyn… I make it all the time. This version has wonderful new ingredients. I can’t wait to try it (looks great too!).
Gorgeous salad. I am in love with that vinaigrette. Your photos amaze me as always.
Interesting salad: love the vinaigrette! Just checked: have everything at home – guess what has been bumped off the lunch menu and what i will be having instead 😀 ?
Wow, I want to make this for Sunday, I’m really excited about the grilled artichokes from Whole
Foods, I never knew about them, whats wrong with me! Thank you LL I’ll be out looking for them tomorrow.
I was on a kale binge in January and now my fridge is full of Gai Lan, but I’ll be recreating this soon – the Meyer Lemon dressing really brightens things up. We were just reading about the 50 dishes that WP will be serving at the Governor’s Ball and assume that they are small bites 🙂 We love watching the Oscars, some years we’ve seen all the movies, and some years, not so much – but its all about the red carpet!
I just cooked a mountain of kale from my garden. Your kale salad looks wonderful. I like the idea of the grilled artichokes and must try it.
I’ve been on the hunt for some new kale salad recipes, and this one looks like a winner 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration!
Congratulations on your Wolfgang Puck tweet!
Thanks for giving us the recipe, the salad looks delicious, i’m gonna have a go at it for lunch!