Today`s dish for the French Fridays with Dorie group is “Endives, Apples and Grapes”.
Endives are called “Chicorée” around here and are quite popular. Endive is a member of the chicory family, which includes radicchio, escarole and curly endive and was first cultivated in Belgium (starting in 1846). There is white as well as red endive. Endive is rich in vitamins A, B, C and K, high in fiber and a good source of beta-carotene and potassium. Perhaps the most versatile member of the lettuce family, it is great in salads, used as scoop for dips, sautéed, braised, baked or grilled. For this recipe, I used wonderful fresh white endive from a local endive grower ( http://www.deutscher-chicoree.de). As endives are grown in total darkness, it is fantastic to visit the company and take a tour of the endive growing facilities. After the tour, you can buy bags full of the freshest endives available anywhere and feel good about preparing a dish with local produce. And after you have shopped for endives, you can go and pay a visit to the apple famers in the neighborhood and pick up some local apples as well. Wonderful!
Dorie´s recipe calls for cooking the endives, apples and grapes slowly in salted (French) butter (I used “La Motte de Président") until soft and caramelized. We enjoyed this recipe with roast chicken and rosemary potatoes, delicious. We loved the caramelized endives and apples and the sweet “wilted” grapes. A keeper for sure!
To see how the other Doristas prepared the “Endives, Apples and Grapes”, please click here.
When hubby and I visited Europe, any country, we were always fascinated
ReplyDeleteby the markets. I loved to see the fresh "endive" which I considered to
be frisee. It was so beautifully white spread out amongst all the greens.
I truly love it in all forms, and there is nothing like a frisee salad with
lardons and a pooched egg on top. But, that's another story. Your dish looks great, and we loved this recipe and will definitely make it again.
Your dish looks wonderful:) The grapes were my favorite.
ReplyDeleteOh, that last photo has me wanting to make it all over again, it looks so perfect. We did love this one...and I might be slightly addicted to those grapes roasted like that, so delicious!
ReplyDeleteWow, I bet it really makes a difference to use the freshest endive. I could not find it in time to make this version, so I made the Thanksgiving one and it was very good as well. Nice pictures!
ReplyDeleteThese are such beautiful photos! Love them! Endive was something I usually just used to hold appetizer toppings. I 've always wanted to braise and cook them. And I should have known how good they would be flavored with my beloved rosemary.
ReplyDeletePerfect photographs! I don't like endive very much but the grapes....oh the grapes were a revelation!!! Will be sautéing these puppies again and again and again!!!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to enjoy local endive with local apples. My kind of eating! I am definitely enamored with the caramelized grapes. You're right, this is perfect to go alongside roasted chicken. What did you serve for dessert?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Betsy - it is fun cooking with the best local ingredients that you can get.
DeleteAs far as your question with respect to the dessert for that day is concerned, we had "Nigel Slater´s English Apple Cake" - made with the rest of the apples - simply delicious - thanks for asking!
I like that you were able to source most of your ingredients locally - what a treat! (And the apple cake sounds like the perfect finish).
ReplyDeleteAlthough this is my 3rd post of this series making endives dish, I have to say I'm really attracted to your dish most! Cooked with salted French butter... okay that sounds already delicious!!! I have to give it a try to cook endives instead of just using for salad!
ReplyDeleteWow! What an eye opener, I walked around our supermarket with my phone set on google images of an endive so I can find one! I had never had it before! It's great to read about the different exposure we've all had to this ingredient! A scoop for dips sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteso far I think this really does pair well with a roast!
ReplyDelete