Get to know Belgian endive
By MELISSA D’ARABIAN
— with the help of cheese
Associated Press
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Fresh-faced, yet utterly jet-
lagged. That’s how I arrived in
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that’s how I was introduced to
Belgian endive.
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ner was waiting, so we sat right
down and rather silently (since
I didn’t yet speak a word of
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recognize.
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I understood precious little of
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ter, delight that we ate — Bel-
gian endive.
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gian endive (and luckily, as I
discovered, so did I). She served
it chopped and sauteed in sweet
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cheese.
Back in the U.S., I saw Bel-
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all year. They look like a cross
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Belgian and regular endive are
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Each Belgian endive has
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so exotically European, it’s
downright inexpensive.
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that star other greens — raw in
place of escarole, sauteed in-
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grilled or roasted with olive oil,
salt and pepper and squeeze of
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dish that started it all — Ma-
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gratin.
Food Network star Melissa
d’Arabian is an expert on
healthy eating on a budget. She
is the author of the cookbook,
“Supermarket Healthy.” http://
www.melissadarabian.net
Each Belgian endive has
only 15 calories, but
packs tons of fi ber, vita-
min C and calcium.
22 | February 26, 2015 | coastweekend.com
Belgian
Endive Gratin
Start to fi nish: 45 minutes (15 minutes active)
Servings: 4
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 small yellow onion, fi nely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 tablespoons all-purpose fl our
2 cups reduced-fat milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
4 small to medium Belgian endives
3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
AP Photos/Matthew Mead
In this gratin, Belgian endive is baked in a white cream sauce with onions and cheese.
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 350 F. Coat a medium (9-by-9-inch) baking dish
with cooking spray.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add
the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and
tarragon, then cook until fragrant, another minute. Whisk in the fl our and
cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook over
medium heat, stirring, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 6 minutes.
Turn off the heat, stir in mustard, then season with salt and pepper. Set
aside.
3. Cut off the woody stems of the endive and slice them in half length-
wise. Season them with salt and pepper. Place the endive in the prepared
baking dish. Pour the sauce over the endive halves. Cover with foil and
bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, then sprinkle the cheese evenly over
the top. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the endive is
tender.
4. If desired, increase heat to broil and broil the gratin until the cheese
is bubbly and browned, about 1 minute. Be careful, as the cheese will burn
quickly. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Nutrition information per serving: 230 calories; 120
calories from fat (52 percent of total calories);
14 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 45 mg cho-
lesterol; 16 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 12 g
protein; 540 mg sodium.