Need a little more French in ya? Last week, I shared my recipe for a small batch of mini Chocolate Eclairs. This week, we’re making another classic French dish for two: Endive Gratin with Ham and Gruyere.
I firmly believe that anything wrapped in Black Forest ham and covered with Gruyere cheese is delicious, but this endive gratin takes the cake. Would that be the crepe cake? Oui!
Endive is a slightly bitter lettuce that grows in the dark during the winter. Well, technically, first the plant is grown in the light to develop its roots, and then the roots are transplanted into sand and allowed to grow in the dark. The lack of light creates the perfectly white leaves that you see on most of the plant. Then, at the end of the growing process, it is exposed briefly to light to develop chlorophyll (color) at the tips of the leaves. This amazing lettuce belongs in your grocery cart.
If you need a little help choosing endive at the store, look for bright white, firm leaves that still have a bit of hair left on them. See the fuzz on the endive below? That’s a good thing. It’s a sign of freshness. Actually, all lettuce has tiny hairs on the leaves, but you will only see it if the lettuce is very fresh. See, I’m still putting my Master’s degree to work—I scope lettuce for hairs in the produce department.
Look at these baby lettuce taking a nap in their ham blankets while bathing in bubbly cheese. Some days, I wish I was an endive.
Quick update for ya: I’ve been sharing some of my dinner for two recipes over on Food Fanatic, and usually I make you click on over for the recipe. Well, I hear y’all didn’t like that. I’m sorry for making you hop all over the internetz just to get my recipes. From now on, the recipes will be featured here, too. In the meantime, I will go back and add the recipes to all of my dinners, so stay tuned for that!
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