Belgian endive or chicory is not a vegetable that will be liked by everybody. It being slightly bitter puts it in the category for an acquired taste. The recipe is based on 2 pieces per serving, so if you buy the endive heads and they are large or thick and you will halve them buy less heads. You can also make a bechamel sauce to which you add cheese and nutmeg, pour that over the ham wrapped endive, add more cheese on the top and bake. Bread crumbs can be mixed in the cheese for the topping. In Holland we usually serve this with mashed potatoes.
The French love these delicious savoury cakes, they can be found in all supermarkets and good boulangeries. The texture is still very light and “cake” like, as these are not yeast risen cakes; however, the texture is also quite robust and firm, slightly “holey”, making these savoury type cakes very easy to slice. You can just slice them and butter them for a snack or use the sliced cake for an unusual and alternative sandwich bread. Or, slice them and then cut into small cubes – then using cocktail sticks attach a chunk of your favourite cheese or spread the cubes with tapenade, cream cheese or your favourite savoury spread. Olives also make a great accompaniment. Please note, that these do NOT have the same texture as a normal sweet cake – as I mentioned before, the texture is holey, firm and amost like a sourdough bread. They freeze beautifully, both in loaves or in slices. Preparation time includes the “resting” time needed for the cake batter.
I believe this recipe comes from Everybody Eats Well in Belgium — It makes for an interesting loaf!
A yummy glaze with honey, brown sugar and mustard. From the Sue Bee Honey folks! Corned beef is very popular in England.
Make and share this Belgian Carrots recipe from Food.com.
