Belgian Endives With Parma Ham Food

STUFFED BELGIAN ENDIVE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add in the milk, whisking constantly. Allow the mixture to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the mustard, garlic, and 1/4 cup shredded cheese.
• Meanwhile, cut off the woody stems of the endives and make a deep slit into them lengthwise, not quite cutting them in half. Place a small slice of cheese in the center of each endive. Season with salt and pepper and roll each endive in a slice of ham. Place the wrapped endives, seam-side down, in the prepared baking dish.
• Stir the sauce to blend the cheese into the mixture and pour over the endives. Cover with foil and cook for 25 minutes. Uncover, and add the remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Raise the heat to 400 degrees F and cook for 10 minutes more. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley to garnish.
• Cook's Note: If Belgian endive is unavailable, substitute small wedges of cabbage and increase the cooking time by 10 minutes.

BELGIAN ENDIVE AND HAM CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Trim the ends from the endives.
• Cook the endives in boiling salted water for 10- 12 minutes or until tender crisp.
• Drain well.
• When cool enough to handle, wrap each one with a slice of ham and place them in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
• Sauce: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the butter until bubbly, and add the flour.
• Cook, stirring for a minute until it is well blended.
• Add the milk, and whisk smooth.
• Turn the heat down.
• Stir in the grated cheese, and add the salt and pepper and pinch of cayenne pepper, and simmer for another minute.
• Pour the sauce over the endives, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

ENDIVE GRATIN WITH HAM AND GRUYERE CHEESE

Steps:

• Special Equipment: Steaming basket
• Serving Suggestion: French baguette, sliced
• Preheat oven to 350 to 375 degrees F.
• In a large pot fitted with a steaming basket, bring 1-inch of water to a boil. Place the endives in the basket, cover, and let cook until very soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a colander and let drain, pushing down on the endives with a clean kitchen towel until as much of the water as possible has been expelled. Do not mush the endives!
• In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the foam has subsided, add the endives and cook, turning occasionally, until brown and caramelized on all surfaces. Remove from heat and wrap each endive in 1 slice of the ham. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. When the foam has subsided whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute, being careful not to brown the flour. Whisk in the milk in a slow, steady stream. Bring to a boil whisking constantly, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes. Season with a generous amount of pepper and the nutmeg.
• Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch flameproof ceramic baking dish, then arrange the ham-wrapped endives on top in a single layer. Cover with the remaining sauce and the cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Turn on the broiler, transfer the pan to the top rack, and broil until the cheese has patches of golden goodness - about 2 minutes. Serve hot with generous amounts of sauce and baguette slices.

ENDIVES WITH HAM

Steps:

• Remove outer layer of leaves from endives. Trim bottoms, and carve a V shape in cut side to remove cores. Place endives cut side down in a single layer in a sauté pan. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter, sprinkle with lemon juice and season with sugar, salt and pepper. Add wine and about 1 cup water to barely cover endives. Cut a circle of parchment to fit into pan and place on endives. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat, and cool in liquid.
• Melt remaining butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in warm milk, beating constantly, about 10 minutes, until béchamel sauce is thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Lightly butter a baking dish to hold endives in a single layer. Drain endives, and pat dry on paper towel. Cut ham slices in half, and wrap endive halves in ham. Place seam side down in baking dish. Spoon béchamel over and around roll-ups. Sprinkle with cheese. Set aside until shortly before serving. Refrigerate dish if waiting more than 1 hour, but bring to room temperature before baking.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, until sauce is bubbling. Briefly place dish under broiler to lightly brown top. Serve hot.

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.

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.