How to Drain Any Green
I love creamy greens because of all the cream. The most common creamy greens are spinach, and that’s my favorite, but spinach isn’t the only greens you can drain, oh no. You can use kale, mustard greens, or even kale (if needed).
I don’t like cabbage. It is a tough leaf with mediocre taste. It’s not disgusting, but not as good as many other types of greens, such as the aforementioned kale, spinach, or even Swiss chard. This is why I chose kale to test my method of whipping green cream – if it can make kale tempting, that’s good!
My method is simple. All you have to do is remember three Bs:
- B doe your greens
- B fried your butter
- Be a smart person and use heavy cream
Let’s go through each B one at a time:
Blanch (or boil) the greens
Relying on hot cream to cook your greens will end up with thick, undercooked greens, so cook them in boiling water before they see any dairy products. This is especially important if you’re dealing with tough greens like kale, but even spinach needs to be quickly dipped in boiling salted water.
Once your greens are soft and bright green, rinse them in cold water and dry them in a salad bowl (or wrap them in clean kitchen towels).
Toast the oil
Most recipes with creamy greens do not have this B, but I think this is important. The combination of ghee and heavy whipping cream is heavy and slightly dull, while the browning of the butter gives the steakhouse a little deeper depth and a nutty, savory character.
Be a smart person and use heavy cream
This is called cream spinach , not halved spinach, so proceed accordingly. You are already eating a vegetable, let’s not make things worse for the sake of “cutting calories” or something equally stupid.
Putting it all together
For stronger herbs (like kale), I use 10 ounces of green, 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) salted butter, and 3/4 cup heavy cream. I also use a little flour (to thicken the food). If I make spinach cream, I increase the mass of the greens to a pound because it is so tender and shrinks a lot (and because I love the taste of spinach). Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of greens as you see fit, that’s what I’m talking about, but this ratio is a good place to start. Whether you want to get fancy and fry some garlic in oil before adding the herbs, or finish it off with a sauce, you can certainly do it. To whisk (two large servings) any greens you will need:
- 10 ounces washed and stalked greens (if needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- A large spoonful of flour (about a tablespoon – you don’t sweat all over)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Fresh nutmeg
Add salt to about 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add herbs and cook until tender. For spinach, this will take 30 seconds; for cabbage, this will take a few minutes.
Drain the herbs and rinse with cold water, then pat dry in a salad bowl (or roll into a clean kitchen towel and gently squeeze out any moisture). Add a tablespoon of flour to a small sieve and set near the stove. Set the herbs aside, add the butter to a large saucepan and heat over medium heat. Let it foam and spray until it turns dark golden brown, then reduce heat, add the herbs to the butter and stir to coat, then dust the herbs with flour. Stir again, add cream and stir until thickened. Add the grated nutmeg at the end and serve immediately.