8 small head belgian endive
1 squeeze lemon juice
1 seasoning
8 thin slices cooked ham
1 sauce
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup to 3/4 c grated cheddar or gruyere, cheese
1 topping
1/2 cup to 3/4 c fresh soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated cheddar or gruyere cheese
2 tomatoes
Directions
Trim the bottom of the endive heads and remove the outer leaves if
necessary. Cook in boiling salted water with a squeeze of lemon juice
for about 15 minutes until JUST tender. Drain well and wrap each head
of endive in a slice of ham, then put into the baking dish. Prepare
the sauce while the endive is cooking. To make this, heat the butter
in a saucepan. Remove from heat, stir in the flour, return to the
heat and cook for several minutes. Remove from heat and blend in the
milk. Stir over a low heat until thickened, add seasoning and 3 tbsp
of the endive stock. Add the cheese to the sauce, pour over the ham
and endived. Top with crumbs and cheese, brown under the broiler,
then top with sliced tomatoes. TO SERVE: As soon as cooked. This
also make a good hors d'oeuvre for 8. Serves 4.
Origin: Marguerite Patten recipe cards Shared by: Sharon Stevens
Servings: 4 servings
Belgian Endive & Ham Au Gratin Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Casserole; Ham; Meat; Pork; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
Recipes as an idea can be traced way back into history, at least as far back into history as the ancient Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that maybe, mostly, these early cook books were just very basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for meal preparation.
In an interesting twist, the oldest recipe found, according to Professor Solomon Katz, are a few clay tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. During the time of the Romans a roman called Apicius compiled a collection of documents describing recipes prepared by the Romans. In his scrolls, he tells us how the meals were split into starters, entrees and afters, something we still use today. Aspicius tells us how the Romans made use of many spices and herbs, including some that we all recognise such as basil, rue and dill. Continuing our culinary historical journey, we have a couple of cookery books published in the 1300s - a cookery book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another entitled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are a little misleading though, they are unconnected to the spicy food that is popular today, but rather accounts of the types of meals on the tables of the rich and powerful of the period. Later on, in the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought us a variety of foods and spices from Arab cooking, including spices such as coriander, parsley, and rosemary. The introduction of these new tastes was responsible for a torrent in books on cooking, many of which still exist in private cookery archives. The TV revolution brings us TV cooks and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. Which pretty much brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, allowing everyone to access thousands of recipes just like those on this web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Belgian Endive & Ham Au Gratin recipe.
