RCP: Gratin of Endives and Bacon

From "Simple French Food", by Richard Olney. We've made this one enough that the book binding is split and the pages for this recipe are falling out.

Serves 3 or 4.

6 medium endives (about 1 lb.)
3 T. butter
Salt, pepper
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmigiano
2/3 c. stale (but not dried out) grated bread, crusts first removed
2 T. chopped parsley
3 oz. lean bacon slices, coarsely chopped
3/4 c. heavy cream
Lemon quarters (to be served apart)

Remove the outer, discolored leaves from the endives, trim remaining discolored edges if necessary, and split each in two lengthwise. Pack them in a tight single layer, split side down, in a generously buttered gratin dish and sprinkle the surface with salt and pepper. Mix together the grated cheese, the breadcrumbs, the parsley, and the chopped bacon, pulling apart any fragments of bacon that stick together, and distribute this mixture evenly over the surface. Start in a 450° oven and, after a few minutes, reduce the thermostat to about 375°. After 40 or 45 minutes, remove and moisten with the cream, trickling it regularly over the surface, and return to the oven for another 20 minutes or so. Serve with lemon quarters.


Mike

Thanks, Mike! Sounds great.

Looks tasty. I will try it before winter is over!!

Francesco

This is a lot like what the Dutch do with endive, except that the endive are whole, simmered first in broth/lemon juice, allowed to drain, wrapped with a piece of ham, covered with a cheese sauce, then baked. Delicious! But what I wanted to ask...Francesco, can you get heavy cream there in Belgium, or, if not, what do you usually use as a substitute when the recipe calls for heavy cream? (I have varying results using creme fraiche as a substitute since heavy cream isn't available here and would love to know if there is some other option.)
cheers, Bonnie

And the belgian way is totally different!!
Envides are sauteed in butter and pepper until soft. Than wrapped with ham and baked ina sauce made out of cheese and bechamel. One of these days I wil going to post it with a photo.
Anyway. As for the creams, in Belgium I find creams from 15% to 50% fat. I use creme fraiche only when I need a sour creme. If I need something thicker I might simply use mascarpone.
When I moved form Netherlands to Belgium I realized that they two countries do not call cream the same very thing .... heavy cream is here in Belgium 50% slagroom.

In fact in this recipe I might end-up using bechamel instead of cream.

Francesco

That's really interesting that the Belgians saute their endive first whereas the Dutch tend to poach it in boullion/lemon juice instead. Gosh, I don't think I've even seen 50% cream (slagroom) in the grocery stores here in Holland! The normal Dutch creme fraiche is, I think, around 35% fat. I guess I will stick to using French creme fraiche (the c.f. from Normandy that's like butter...hee hee...available at the wholesale place for restaurants) or mascarpone when the recipe calls for heavy cream. Cheers! Bonnie

Thanks Mike for the recipe...I am definitely going to try this one out ASAP! Looks delicious.

How do you get in wholesalers for restaurants? I have been tried for ages to get into one!

Francesco

Francesco, my husband has a Kamer van Koophandel (Chamber of Commerce) number since he has his own accupuncture business, and anyone who has a KvK number can get a card to shop at this place (Sligro). That's how I get to shop there. Their fish, game, poultry and produce is wonderful - they even have wild mushrooms sometimes in season that are routed from Rungis in Paris! Great stuff and I count myself lucky to be able to shop there, that's for sure.
cheers, Bonnie

Betsy made this last night. I quite liked. My only objection was that the endive was just a tad too bitter for me. I've found cooked endive can vary a lot, even within one season (or even two batches from the same source a week apart). Funnily, the squeeze of lemon made it seem less bitter (I would have thought it was accentuate). But overall the dish was excellent, thanks for posting. The crust was my favorite part, of course (I'm a bacon slut).

Betsy made this last night. I quite liked. My only objection was that the endive was just a tad too bitter for me. I've found cooked endive can vary a lot, even within one season (or even two batches from the same source a week apart). Funnily, the squeeze of lemon made it seem less bitter (I would have thought it was accentuate). But overall the dish was excellent, thanks for posting. The crust was my favorite part, of course (I'm a bacon slut).

Glad you liked it, Dale. That crust is pretty tasty!


Mike