Baked Endive Food

ROASTED BELGIAN ENDIVE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425.
• Discard any of the endive's bruised or wilted outer leaves. Cut away a thin slice from the root end to remove the usually discolored surface portion of the stem. Wash the endive under cold running water, then shake off the moisture.
• Cut each head of endive in half lengthwise. Make a cut in the root end, cutting half as deep as the root is thick and running the cut from the bottom to where the leaves join the root.
• Place the endive on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning once, until the endive is browned, and very tender, 50 to 60 minutes. (It's done when you can easily pierce the root end with a fork.) Serve hot or warm.

BAKED ENDIVE WITH PANCETTA AND PARMESAN CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Mix in lemon juice. Add endive and boil until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water; cool. Drain. Squeeze endive gently from root end to tip to remove excess water. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Sauté pancetta in medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to bowl.
• Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to boil, whisking until sauce is smooth. Add nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Mix in Gruyère cheese. Stir in pancetta. Season with salt and pepper. Pour 1/3 of the sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange endive atop sauce. Spoon remaining sauce over. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake until endive is tender, about 25 minutes.

PAN-ROASTED ENDIVE

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 halved heads endive cut-side down; season with salt. Cook until browned and softened, turning once, about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon sugar and a pinch of salt. Simmer, turning to coat, until syrupy, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle with chives.

BAKED ENDIVE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the endive in a buttered baking dish and add the butter, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Cover with waxed paper or foil.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until endive is tender.

BRAISED ENDIVE WITH HAM AND GRUYèRE

Steps:

• To cook the endive, combine the butter, sugar, salt, and 10 1/2 cups water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Add the endive, cover, and cook until very tender, about 45 minutes. A knife should be able to pierce through with no resistance. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the endive to paper towels. Reserve 1 1/4 cups cooking liquid. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the endive.
• Wrap each endive with slices of ham. Arrange the endive in a shallow baking dish that holds them snugly; you don't want any space between the endive.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until golden. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture smells nutty, about 2 minutes. Continue whisking and add the milk, then the reserved endive cooking liquid in a slow, steady stream. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking. Continue whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg and pepper.
• Pour the béchamel over the endive and spread to cover them evenly. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. If you want the top more browned and crusty, broil for a minute or two after baking. Serve hot.

BAKED CHICORY/ENDIVE WITH CHICKEN IN A SAGE AND MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to fan 180°C (355°F)/conventional 200°C (390°F)/gas 6. Trim away the stalk ends of the chicory, discard any limp or tired outer leaves, then cut the vegetable lengthways into quarters. Pour the oil over the bottom of a large shallow baking dish and arrange the sections of chicory, cut-side up, in a single layer. Pour over the wine or stock and cover with foil. Bake for 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Slice the chicken into strips 1cm thick. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large frying pan until foaming, add sliced chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is just turning golden brown. Stir in the shallot and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove the dish from the oven and add the chicken mixture to the chicory. Replace the foil and set the dish aside while you make the sauce.
• Melt the butter for the sauce in the frying pan (no need to wash it) then stir in the flour. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring all the time until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream and sage with two teaspoons each of both mustards. Taste and add extra mustard plus salt and pepper if you think they're needed.
• Pour the sauce over the chicory and chicken and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, for a further 25-30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden.

BELGIAN ENDIVE WRAPPED IN HAM WITH CHEESE / LOF MET HAM EN KAAS

Steps:

• Cut of a thin slice of the bottom of the endive, with a small knife remove the bitter core of the endive.
• Cut large heads in half and don't forget to remove the core.
• Cook the endive in salted water and the lemon juice for 20 to 30 minutes or until cooked.
• Drain and put them in a colander.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• When cool enough to handle, wrap each endive in a slice of ham, also the loose leaves, put them in a greased oven proof dish, add grated nutmeg, sprinkle the cheese on top and add some flecks of butter.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

BAKED ENDIVE WITH HAM

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch skillet over moderate heat. Add the endives; they will fit snugly side by side. Add 1 cup water and the lemon juice. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle with the sugar. Cover with a round of parchment paper to keep the endives bathed in steam. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, then turn the endives with tongs, re-cover with the parchment, and continue cooking until you can insert a knife easily, about 20 minutes longer. Set aside until cool.
• Gently squeeze each endive to remove excess moisture, then wrap each in a slice of ham. Place in a single layer in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Put the milk and bay leaf in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to low. In another small saucepan, melt the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste. Slowly add the hot milk, whisking constantly. Simmer until smooth and slightly thickened. (It will be thin.) Remove from the heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese. Season with nutmeg and white pepper. Remove the bay leaf.
• Pour the sauce evenly over the wrapped endives. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese on top. Bake until hot throughout and bubbly, about 25 minutes, then place the dish under a broiler and broil until the surface is lightly browned. Let rest for 15 minutes, then serve.
• Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay or another white wine with lush texture.

BAKED ENDIVES WITH PARMESAN CHEESE (ENDIVES AU PARMESAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Drain the endives well on absorbent paper towels.
• Using one tablespoon of the butter, lightly butter the bottom and sides of a baking dish large enough to hold the endives close together in one layer. Add the endives. Sprinkle with the cheese and dot with the remaining butter.
• Place in the oven and bake 15 minutes. Run briefly under the broiler until browned and nicely glazed.

BAKED BELGIAN ENDIVE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Place the endive stalks in a greased, shallow 1 1/2 quart oven proof cassserole dish. Dot with the butter. Sprinkle the endive with the sugar, salt and pepper.
• Cover and cook for about 1 1/2 hours until soft. Any liquid remaining is to be discarded. Set endive aside.
• Cook the bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat (DO NOT burn!) Remove the cooked bacon to a paper towel to drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings.
• Increase oven heat to 350 degrees.
• Heat the reserved drippings on medium heat and add the flour. Stir until bubbling, but again, do not burn! Gradually pour in the half and half (or heavy cream.) Heat the mixture and stir for approximately 5 minutes until almost boiling and thickened. Pour the sauce over the endive.
• Chop up the bacon into little pieces and sprinkle over the endive along with the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
• Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until bubbling and lightly browned on top.

BRAISED BELGIAN ENDIVE

Steps:

• Trim off the root ends and remove any discolored outer leaves of: 4 Belgian endive.
• Cut in half lengthwise and season well with: Salt.
• Melt in a heavy-bottomed skillet: 2 tablespoons butter.
• Add the endive, cut side down, and cook over medium heat until nicely browned. This can be done in batches, adding more butter with each batch. The pan will brown, which is fine; just don't allow it to blacken. If it does, wash it out before adding the next batch. Place the endive, browned sides up, in a baking dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Pour in: About 1 cup chicken broth.
• The broth should be about 1/2 inch deep in the dish. Cover tightly and bake in a 400°F oven until tender, about 20 minutes. Check for doneness by probing the core with a sharp knife.
• Variations
• Wrap each endive half in a thin slice of pancetta or bacon before browning. Brown the wrapped endives on both sides, using more butter if necessary, and braise as above.
• Place the cut endives in a baking dish and pour in about 3/4 cup cream, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, brown, and bubbling.

SAUTéED ENDIVE WITH BALSAMIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Add endive halves, cut side down, and sear on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes per side, turning once, until golden brown but still somewhat firm in the middle. Salt to taste, transfer to a serving dish and tent with foil to keep warm.
• Simmer vinegar in a small saucepan for about a minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter bit by bit. Whisk in sugar and, if desired, some salt and pepper.
• Drizzle some of the balsamic butter on endives, strew with marjoram and dust with pepper. Serve. Remaining balsamic butter can be refrigerated for future use.