French in a Flash: Baked Endive Gratins with Ham and Cheese

Endive Gratins

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I recently had to explain to a will-not-be-named member of my family that endives are contraband in the States.  Or, I should say, packing raw French endives in your suitcase to consume in the States would be…yeah, illegal.

That is how obsessed we are with endives.  Bitter, crunchy, great in salad.  Sure.  But where it’s really at is in the cooked endive, still crunchy, but slightly tender.  Each leaf still holding its own, but collapsing onto the one beneath it like exhausted babushka dolls.  Still bitter, but just ever-so-slightly more mellow.  It’s like you took the muscle man that is endive and gave him that spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.  Then, they become so delicious, and so unusual, and delicate, and different.  They are so special–worth smuggling, I think.

Endive gratin is a really traditional dish, and I like that you have the rich voluptuousness of a gratin, and the crisp, bitter verdure of the vegetable.  Endive halves are wrapped in ham, then smothered in a simple bechamel, and covered with Gruyere cheese.  Then, they’re baked until the endive is soft and mellow, and the cheese is bubbly and gooey.  A small green salad with a little lemon juice and fleur de sel and you’re in business.  Almost worth jail time.