To be honest, this salad/appetizer is not about the endive. Its all about blue cheese and walnuts. The endive is lovely and all, but really just a vehicle to get the blue cheese and nut mixture into your gob. And its all artful and makes some pretense at being healthy. Actually, the endive a great compliment and lends some elegance to the dish so that its an appropriate appetizer for a nice cocktail party or, if well presented, a lovely salad course. I found the basics for this very simple recipe on the internet, reminding me of a salad I believe I had at Astaria and changed it a bit. I like a light vinagrette, and the rice wine vinegar is perfect for that just giving it a bit of tang and moisture. Use a firm blue cheese, ideally Maytag if you can get it.
INGREDIENTS
½ cup walnuts
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
kosher salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large heads Belgian endive
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
PREPARATION
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Roast walnuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer walnuts to a plate to cool completely. Break any walnut halves into smaller pieces by hand.
- While walnuts are roasting, whisk olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper together to make dressing. Set aside.
- Trim off the very base of the head of endive with a knife. Carefully remove 10 or so outer leaves one at a time. You’ll probably need to slice off more of the base as you go along. If any leaves break or are less than visually perfect, reserve them to chop up for the blue cheese/walnut mixture.
- Rinse leaves and carefully pat dry with paper towel. Arrange in a radial pattern on plate.
- Slice remainder of endive head in half lengthwise, rinse under running water and shake dry, then slice crosswise into 1/2-inch [or less] strips. Place in large bowl with walnut pieces and crumbled blue cheese and toss with dressing.
- Mound mixture in center of whole endive leaves and serve. Use the endive leaves to scoop up the cheese/walnut mixture.
