Endives au jambon

Name: Endives au jambon
Total time: 60 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Nord
Ingredients: 8 large white Belgian endives; 8 thick slices of cooked ham; 60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter; 60 g (½ cup) all-purpose flour; 800 ml (3⅓ cups) whole milk; 200 g (2 cups) grated Gruyère; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 pinch of nutmeg; 1 tsp fleur de sel; 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Belgian endives wrapped in ham with cheese sauce

⏱ 60 minServes 4Easy420 kcal

A recipe from Le Chaudron — the cooking of France’s regions.

01 — Ingredients4 servings

8large white Belgian endives
8 slicesthick slices of cooked ham
60 g (2 oz)unsalted butter
60 g (2 oz)all-purpose flour
800 ml (3⅓ cups)whole milk
200 g (7 oz)grated Gruyère
1 tspsugar
1 tbsplemon juice
1 pinchnutmeg
1 tspfleur de sel (flaky sea salt)
1 tspfreshly ground pepper

8 large white Belgian endives
8 slices thick slices of cooked ham
60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter
60 g (2 oz) all-purpose flour
800 ml (3⅓ cups) whole milk
200 g (7 oz) grated Gruyère
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp fleur de sel (flaky sea salt)
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Serves 4. In the app, quantities adjust to the number of guests on their own — and the ingredients go straight to your shopping list.

02 — Equipment

1 large gratin dish (30 cm / 12 in)

1 large pot for the endives

1 medium saucepan for the béchamel

03 — Method

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) fan. Remove any damaged outer leaves from the 8 endives and cut a 1 cm (⅜ in) cone out of the base to remove the bitter core.
Bring a large pot of salted water with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 1 tsp of sugar to a boil — this keeps the endives pale and softens their bitterness.
Simmer the whole endives for 20 minutes until a knife slides in easily. Drain in a colander and let cool slightly.
For the béchamel, melt the butter in the medium saucepan over low heat, add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes without letting it color.
Whisk in the hot milk in a thin stream, whisking constantly so no lumps form.
Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring, until it coats the spoon. Season with fleur de sel, plenty of pepper and the nutmeg.
Squeeze the endives firmly to remove as much water as possible (ABSOLUTELY crucial). Wrap each tightly in a slice of ham.
Arrange side by side in the large buttered gratin dish, cover with the hot béchamel and sprinkle with Gruyère. Bake for 30 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F) fan until golden and bubbling.