All about Endives

Good morning! I'm been up for several hours due to a very early appointment with some very, shall we say, demanding clients. I try to approach each and every session I give with an authentic sense of gratitude, but sometimes it is a challenge. We all have people that constantly test our limits, right?

Anyway, that's not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about endives, specifically braised. I know I did hint yesterday that today's blog would be on the subject of "easy sushi," a very tempting recipe from one of my favorite uncookbooks. However, I misjudged my free time, and the advance prep on a couple of items, so I moved braised endives up a day or two on my menu. Easy sushi will definitely be tonight, with pictures, I promise.

Endives have a naturally bitter taste, which is quite nice but can be overpowering without the right preparation and complementary favors. Once again, I am left with the profound awareness of the endive learning curve. In this case, they must first be browned. The recipe says about 5 minutes on a side, having made the recipe, I say cook those suckers until they really start to caramelize a bit. Don't be afraid to give them some extra time, remember, the end result wants to be tender.

Next, add some broth, and braise until tender, the leaves are going to come apart somewhat, nothing you can do about it, it's just the natural order of things. Once they're nice and tender, remove the endoves from the skillet, add "butter" and lemon juice, and cook the remaining liquid down into a nice syrup. I have no idea how long this will take because my liquid never got syrupy, but I do suspect I didn't give it enough time either. Endives=time apparently. Overall, it was a yummy supper, quoting steamed artichokes or cabbage to some degree. I did find the bitterness a bit pronounced,
perhaps a hint of agave to sweeten the sauce might have been lovely, or some sage.

Here's a pic of them browning endives in the pan...



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Location:Madison, CT