Recipe

Southern Greens Crostini with Crumbled Bacon and Remoulade Aioli

Recipe
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Photo by em-i-lis

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Greens
Chef
em-i-lis's Notes: I grew up in Southern Louisiana and greens were a staple. For example, you ALWAYS had collards on New Years day or you took a gamble with your karma for the year. Because of culture and history...
I grew up in Southern Louisiana and greens were a staple. For example, you ALWAYS had collards on New Years day or you took a gamble with your karma for the year. Because of culture and history but also just because they're good, I love greens of all kinds and never miss a chance to make and serve them to my family. Bacon and greens are best friends (especially when the greens are braised and slick with the cooking juice), and remoulade is to Louisiana like white on rice. I wanted to mix these flavors together but in appetizer form so crafted this crostini.
It's rich, full of flavor and great with sweet tea or a mint julep. It's also a great prelude to a Louisiana meal like gumbo.
You can use any greens that you like here!
The base of my remoulade aioli is Amanda's aioli recipe.

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Serves 4-6

For the Greens and Bacon:

3 slices good bacon Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 pound collard greens, washed, stems removed, leaves cut into ribbons Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 pound Swiss chard, washed, stems removed, leaves cut into ribbons Ask a question about this ingredient

2-3 large garlic cloves, peeled, put through a press Ask a question about this ingredient

salt Ask a question about this ingredient

1 pinch red pepper flakes Ask a question about this ingredient

For the Remoulade Aioli and Crostini:

1 large egg yolk Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Ask a question about this ingredient

salt Ask a question about this ingredient

1 clove garlic, peeled, put through a press Ask a question about this ingredient

3/4 cups canola oil Ask a question about this ingredient

scant 1/4 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

3/4 teaspoons mustard seeds, toasted, coarsely ground Ask a question about this ingredient

2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard Ask a question about this ingredient

sprinkly cayenne pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

1 baguette, sliced on the diagonal into 1/2" ovals Ask a question about this ingredient

In a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy done. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Let cool and then crumble. Reserve 1 T drippings in skillet; discard the rest.
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In the same skillet with the 1 T bacon drippings and over medium-high heat, add the garlic, red pepper flakes and a generous dash of salt. Stir and before anything can burn, add the greens and stir well to combine. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook 4-5 minutes. Then remove from heat, but keep covered until you are ready to use them.
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Make your remoulade aioli: in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Add the canola oil, a few drops at a time, whisking vigorously. The aioli will soon thicken, and at that point, slowly pour in the rest of the canola oil, whisking mightily all the time. Once all the canola oil is incorporated, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Once the olive oil is in, whisk in the ground mustard seed and dijon. Whisk to incorporate and sprinkle lightly but firmly with cayenne. Stir. Taste and season with more salt, lemon or mustard if you’d like. You want this to have a flavor burst from the mustard and lemon and a back-end kick from the cayenne. Whisk to make sure it's smooth and everything is incorporated. Your arm will be tired.
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Get your greens and put them in a bowl. Toss with a healthy-sized spoonful of the remoulade aioli.
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Toast or grill the baguette slices. Cover the surface of each toasted piece with a light gloss of aioli. Spoon a nice amount of greens on top and sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Voila!
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