French cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Braised Endive Gratin

Endive braised in butter and lemon, then gratinated under béchamel and cheese - the delicate bitterness remains.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 8 heads endive
• 40 g butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 lemon
• 40 g flour
• 500 ml whole milk
• 120 g grated gruyère
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Remove the outer leaves from the endive and cut out the bitter core at the base in a wedge shape; halve the heads lengthwise.
2. Melt 20 g butter in a wide pan, place the halves cut-side down, season with sugar, the juice of half a lemon and salt and brown for 5 min. without stirring.
3. Pour in 100 ml water, cover and braise over low heat for 20-25 min. until the heads are soft; then remove and drain well so the gratin doesn't turn watery.
4. For the béchamel, melt the remaining butter, sweat the flour lightly for 2 min., gradually stir in the milk and simmer for 5 min. until the sauce thickens; add two-thirds of the cheese and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
5. Lay the endives close together in a baking dish, pour the sauce over and sprinkle with the remaining gruyère.
6. Bake at 200 °C for 20 min. until the surface is deeply browned, let rest briefly and serve with baguette.