TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Endives au JambonBelgian Endive and Ham Gratin
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Difficulty
- ★★☆☆☆
- Serves
- 4 servings
- Prep 25 min
- Cook 1 hr 5 min
Belgian endives, a vegetable developed in Brussels, are braised and individually wrapped in ham, covered in a thick Gruyère béchamel and baked as a gratin.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (4 servings)
100Authenticity- Belgian endives8 headsAbout 125g each, about 1kg total. Remove damaged outer leaves.
- Unsalted butter90 g30g for braising, 40g for béchamel, 5g for the dish and 15g to finish.
- Fine salt6 g3g for braising and 3g for béchamel.
- 100% lemon juice20 mlFrom half a lemon.
- Water50 mlFor braising.
- Large slices of unsmoked cooked ham8 slicesBoneless pork leg ham, about 30 g per slice. Each of the 8 slices must be large enough to wrap one endive.
- Plain cake flour40 gFor béchamel. Use plain soft-wheat cake flour without added starch or leavening.
- Whole milk600 mlFor béchamel.
- Ground nutmeg0.5 gFor béchamel.
- Ground white pepper0.5 gFor béchamel.
- Gruyère90 gGrate; 60g for the sauce and 30g for the topping.
Method
Remove the bitter cores and rinse the endives
- 1 Remove damaged outer leaves from 8 endives and thinly trim the cut bases.
- 2 Use the tip of a small knife to hollow out the hard central core in a cone about 1.5cm deep.
- 3 Rinse briefly under running water and pat dry.
Ready when
Continue when the cores are removed and the leaves remain together.
Caution
Soaking increases the endives’ bitterness.
Braise covered with butter and lemon for 35 minutes
- 1 Butter a heavy pot with 30g unsalted butter, arrange the endives and add 3g salt, 20ml lemon juice and 50ml water.
- 2 Cover and set over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to low and braise for 35 minutes, turning 1 time during cooking.
Ready when
Continue when a skewer enters the bases easily and the endives are translucent and tender while remaining white.
Tips
Braising without blanching gives a white finish.
Drain and wrap each endive in ham
- 1 Drain the endives in a strainer, gently pressing with the back of a fork to release liquid.
- 2 Spread 1 large slice of ham, place 1 endive on it, roll up from the near edge and put seam side down.
- 3 Lightly butter an ovenproof dish about 25×30cm with 5g unsalted butter and arrange the 8 wrapped endives.
- 4 Meanwhile(While wrapping) Preheat the oven to 250°C.
Ready when
Continue when the 8 endives fit snugly and their ham seams face down.
Reduce the béchamel and melt in Gruyère
- 1 Melt 40g unsalted butter over medium heat, add 40g cake flour and cook for 2 minutes without coloring.
- 2 Add 600ml cold milk in 3 additions, whisking out lumps each time.
- 3 Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer over low heat for 8 minutes, reducing to about 500ml.
- 4 Turn off the heat and mix in 60g grated Gruyère, 3g salt, 0.3g white pepper and 0.3g nutmeg.
Ready when
Continue when the sauce is smooth and thick enough for a spatula dragged along the bottom to leave a line briefly.
Caution
Reducing without scraping the bottom can scorch the sauce.
Cover with hot sauce, cheese and butter and bake at 250°C
- 1 Cover the wrapped endives completely with the hot béchamel.
- 2 Scatter over 30g Gruyère and dot with the 15g finishing butter in small pieces.
- 3 Bake on the upper rack at 250°C for 15 minutes.
Ready when
The gratin is ready when the top is deep golden in patches and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
About this dish
One story traces endives to an accidental discovery by a farmer in Schaerbeek or Evere on the outskirts of 19th-century Brussels. Another credits Bréziers, the botanical garden’s head gardener, with selecting the plant around 1840 to develop its present form. The Brussels-Capital Region’s record when it added the tradition to its intangible heritage inventory in 2021 considers the latter account the most likely.
The Flemish name witloof means “white leaf”; in Belgium the vegetable is also called chicon. Field-grown roots are stored at −1°C, then sprouted for 21 days in a dark room at 15°C.
The gratin of endives wrapped in ham and baked in cheese sauce is said to have appeared in the 1930s, combining a Flemish preparation with bacon and a Gruyère gratin.
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