Pic1-3: beautiful witloofINGREDIENTS
This is what you need for 4-8 servings:
- 4-8 Belgian endive heads
- 4-8 slices of ham
- 1 qt. Mornay sauce
- 1 cup melting cheese, grated
- S&P
Pic4: ham rolls with Belgian endive 2021-07-20Directions
cheesy béchamel sauce
2019-10-08
Pic5-7: béchamel sauce- Fry 2 tbsp. flour in 2 tbsp. butter / cooking oil.
- Allow to bubble without browning.
- Remove from the heat.
- Add 1/2 cup warm milk. The roux should thicken instantly.
- Gradually add more milk to desired thickeness.
- Season to taste.
- Simmer over low heat while stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes.
2019-10-08
Pic8-10:
cutting cheese- Slice and dice the cheese, or grate / shred with a food processor.
The pieces need to be small enough to melt quickly.
2019-10-08
Pic11-13: cheesy béchamel sauce- Add cheese to taste to the béchamel sauce.
- Optional: whisk 1-2 egg yolks into the sauce for further thickening = Mornay sauce.
- Set aside. Keep warm until needed.
steaming witloof
2019-10-08
Pic14-16: steaming witloof- Choose firm white endive, with at most some yellow at the tip.
- Halve the endive heads.
- Cut away the central core which is the bitter part.
-
Steam the endive for 15 minutes.
The endive should wilt and turn greyish. -
Drain the endive. Squeeze out as much water as you can.
Too much water in the endive will break the sauce.
ham rolls
2019-10-08
Pic17: Mornay sauce, ham, steamed witloofPic18: roll, pack
Pic19: arrange in a baking dish
- Prepare Mornay sauce as per recipe. Gather the remaining ingredients.
- Spread some Mornay Sauce on a ham slice.
-
Add the endive. Roll the ham around it as tightly as possible.
If the endive are thick, slice in half and use 1/4 endive for each ham roll.
Alternatively, use 2 ham slices to hold 1/2 endive. - Arrange the ham rolls in a baking dish.
2019-10-08
Pic20+21: sauce, cheesePic22: bake, serve
- Pour sauce over and around the ham rolls.
- Sprinkle plenty of shredded cheese and optional breadcrumbs on top.
- Bake in oven at 350 ºF for 30 minutes.
- Place 1 or 2 ham rolls on each plate with some extra sauce.
- Serve and enjoy.
-
Serving suggestion:
- Serve alone, or serve with boiled or mashed potatoes.
2019-10-08
Pic23: endive ham roll Pic24: endive ham roll, cut open
- Enjoy.
another day
2021-07-20
Pic25-27: cheesy béchamel sauce- Prepare sauce as above.
braising witloof
Witloof isn't always as nice as it could be here in the US. The heads in this batch were tiny, green and rather damaged. I bought them anyway, because nothing better was available.
Instead of halving the heads, I peeled the leaves, discarded the central core. I find this easier than cutting away the core. Ham rolls can just as well be filled with separated leaves.
2021-07-17
Pic28: tiny, green, damagedPic29: peel leaves
Pic30: wash
- Cut the browned base off the endive heads.
- Peel the leaves until the central core is left. Discard the bitter core.
- Rinse the leaves.
2021-07-17
Pic31-33:
sauté & stew- Sauté in butter until the leaves start to wilt.
- Optional: add 1-2 cups (sangria) red wine.
- Bring to a boil.
- Cover. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce liquid until most of it is gone.
Do not allow to cook completely dry, add just enough water to prevent burning. - Witloof is done when the leaves are looking greyish.
That does not show very well in flash pictures. - Drain thoroughly in a sieve or colander.
Squeeze the leaves to remove as much liquid as possible. Reserve the liquid for the sauce. - Serve and enjoy.
I used leftovers to make ham rolls.
2021-07-20
Pic34-36: making endive ham rolls- Stuff and roll.
- Arrange in an oven-proof dish.
- Add sauce.
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Pic37: extra Swiss cheesePic38-39: baked
- Add extra cheese, optional breadcrumbs on top.
- Bake 20-30 minutes until sauce is bubbling, top is golden brown.
2021-07-20
Pic40-42: served- Serve and enjoy.