Taming Bitter Greens: Repeat-Blanch

Bitter leafy greens like dandelion can be transformed by repeated blanching — Katie used the technique to rescue her dandelion greens after a single blanch left them inedible. Each cycle leaches more of the bitter compounds. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil, drop the greens in for 30 to 60 seconds, then immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and lock in colour. Taste. If still aggressive, repeat with fresh boiling water — the first water will be too saturated. Two or three cycles usually take greens from harsh to pleasantly grassy. For a sweet finish, blanch a final pass in light simple syrup and dehydrate.