Belgian endives roasted in olive oil, topped with browned mushrooms, crumbled blue cheese and walnuts, then baked.
These baked Belgian endives come out golden around the edges, beneath seared mushrooms, melted blue cheese and toasted walnuts. The endives mellow as they cook, the cheese adds a salty coating, and the walnuts bring crunch. Unlike a classic endive gratin, this version has no ham or béchamel : the endives simply roast in olive oil. Allow 35 minutes in the oven for 2 to 4 servings. File this one alongside my keto main dishes.
What Is Baked Belgian Endive Gratin ?
Belgian endives, cut lengthwise and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, roast on their own in the oven. Meanwhile, button mushrooms brown in a frying pan with paprika, oregano and onion powder. They join the endives toward the end of cooking, along with the blue cheese and walnuts.
The blue cheese melts in pockets and clings to the mushrooms, the edges of the endives brown lightly, and only a little cooking liquid remains. The mushrooms bring umami, and the walnuts add crunch.
The Origins of This Version
Endive gratin is a family dish from northern France and Belgium, where Belgian endives grow in winter. This version keeps the baked endives and melted cheese but replaces the rest with a more straightforward combination : mushrooms, blue cheese and walnuts.
Blue cheese and walnuts often share a cheese board, and Belgian endives pair well with them in salads. Baked together, the trio makes a warm dish that goes lighter on the sauce.
The Main Ingredients
You will need 3 or 4 Belgian endives and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to coat them. Cut the button mushrooms, 250 g, into large pieces, slightly larger than bite-sized, since they shrink as they cook. This recipe uses fresh mushrooms, so no soaking is needed ; for dried mushrooms, see how to rehydrate mushrooms.
For the blue cheese, 150 g, choose a bold, salty Roquefort or a milder Fourme d’Ambert. Two handfuls of walnuts, broken up by hand or crushed in a mortar, brown on top like toasted hazelnuts : keep an eye on them.
Sear the mushrooms in 3 tablespoons of avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil, then season toward the end of cooking with paprika, dried oregano and onion powder, using 1 teaspoon each of the last two.
Cooking Tips and Serving
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Cut the endives lengthwise, small ones in half and large ones into three or four wedges, and remove or score the tough base so it becomes tender. Drizzle generously with olive oil and bake for 35 minutes. After a quarter of an hour, sear the mushrooms over medium-high heat until golden, like well-browned braised mushrooms, then drain them in a colander.
With 10 to 15 minutes left, take the dish out, spread the mushrooms over the endives, crumble over the blue cheese and finish with the walnuts, then return to the oven. Serve piping hot, with a Japanese cabbage salad for freshness. One serving contains 341 kcal and 5 g of net carbs.
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Ingredients
- 3 to 4 Belgian endives
- 250 g button mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 teaspoon paprika ground
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon onion powdered
- 1 teaspoon paprika ground
- 150 g blue cheese I used Roquefort
- 2 handfuls walnuts
- 3 tablespoons oil avocado, mild olive or high-oleic sunflower oil, for sautéing the mushrooms
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Wash the endives and cut them lengthwise. Cut small ones in half and large ones into 3 to 4 wedges.3 to 4 Belgian endives
- Trim off the base, then cut out the hard core or make slits in it. If left whole, it won’t soften properly. In the past, the core was removed completely because it was bitter. These days, it is much less bitter.
- Place the endives in the baking dish and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Place in the oven and set the timer for 35 minutes.
- After a quarter of an hour, start preparing the remaining ingredients. Cut the mushrooms into large pieces, just a little bigger than bite-size (what you can comfortably fit in your mouth in 1 bite), as they will shrink further.250 g button mushrooms
- Heat the oil in the frying pan and brown the mushrooms on all sides over fairly high heat. Add the ground paprika, oregano and onion powder at the end.3 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon onion, 1 teaspoon paprika
- Meanwhile, roughly crush the walnuts by hand or in a mortar.2 handfuls walnuts
- Let the mushrooms drain in a colander or small sieve.
- When there are 10 to 15 minutes left on the timer, briefly remove the dish from the oven. Spread the mushrooms over the endives. Crumble the cheese on top and finish with the walnuts.150 g blue cheese
- Return to the oven for the remaining time.
