Friday, November 11, 2011

endive spears

There really isn't much of a recipe to post here. Just more of an idea - or a suggestion for your next party.
My girlfriend had a beautiful birthday party last weekend and served something like this so, of course, I had to come home and make my own.


What is endive?
It's that white cigar looking thing you always see in the produce section of the grocery store. Pretty in their little section of the case and you always wonder 'what is that' but move on to broccoli? It's also usually priced way higher than most want to pay for a tiny vegetable. 
Many people call it fancy lettuce. This is somewhat true but it's actually part of the chicory family (think radicchio - the sort of bitter red stuff everybody puts in salads) I used the broad-leaved variety - more commonly known as Belgian Endive - it's less bitter - it's perfect for holding 'things' - and can be eaten cooked or raw
Here's a little link for some history (Belgian Endive)
And another link just because it was interesting (another Endive link)

So I bought one of those tiny, white, cigar looking things and put these together.
Delicious.
Pretty.
Elegant.
Perfect for an appetizer.


Here's a few photos of the ones I made.
























You must toast those pecans. Yes - must.


oven to 350
chop the pecans
spread out on a baking sheet
toast about 5 or 6 minutes


set aside while you wash and dry all the endive spears


























lay all your spears on a serving platter
spread a little homemade blue cheese dressing on each piece
(or crumbled Gorgonzola)
on top of the dressing lay a couple thinly sliced pieces of pear
(her's were poached - mine were recently canned)
sprinkle with the toasted pecans


done


serve and enjoy



2 comments:

  1. Your endive spears look and sound delicious! I'm so impressed that you can your own pears. You're so right that endive spears make a perfect and easy appetizer solution. Here's another tidbit to help you save even more time: the endive spears don't need to be washed. They have never touched dirt, nor are they handled directly. You can learn more at the California Endive website (www.endive.com).

    Thanks for the ideas and the lovely photos!

    Best,
    Casey
    on behalf of Discover Endive

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Casey / and Thank you for the info
    Headed to the website now

    ReplyDelete