This recipe is inspired by a salad I had at Imperial on a recent trip to Portland. Before this, the only way I’d really had kale was in the all-popular chip variety – tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted under the broiler until crisp. But I had heard about kale salads, and I was curious, so that’s what I ordered for lunch. It was the best salad I’d ever had. Every bite was perfection – ribbons of kale evenly dressed with a creamy vinaigrette, thinly sliced carrots for color and crunch, and sunflower brittle in place of the croutons. Brittle! In a salad! The epitome of savory and sweet. For the brittle in my make-at-home version, I decided to use almonds, and I played with various sugar/corn syrup/water ratios to arrive at this one.

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