Honey Roasted Endive

Last week I received a surprise package in the mail. I had no idea what it was but the box said to refrigerate immediately. So I opened it up and found…

A bouquet of endives!

Isn’t it cute? I never really thought about it before, but endives kind of look like flowers. Wrapped up with a bow they passed for a nice bouquet.

When I opened up the bouquet, I found that the roots were still attached, giving a glimpse into how endives are grown. Did you know that endives are one of the most difficult vegetables to grow? They’re actually grown twice – first in a field, then the roots of the plants are harvested and kept dormant inside cold storage. The roots are taken out of cold storage and placed in a precisely controlled environment of a forcing room, where they bloom and mature. That means the leaves have never been exposed to soil (you don’t even need to wash them) and they can be grown year-round, which they are here in California.

I’d never made endives before. You can eat them raw, but they have a reputation for being bitter, so I decided to cook them. Russ recommended roasting them, and I consulted the Flavor Bible to see which flavors would best compliment them. Honey and thyme were both on the list, and I found a roasted endive recipe that uses a simple sauce with these flavors. After roasting them for over 20 minutes at 350°F, the endives became soft and began to brown. However, I found them to still taste a bit bitter. I put them in the fridge overnight, and the flavor significantly mellowed and the bitterness went away. I think next time I will try roasting them at a higher temperature and that will give more of a roasted flavor (and hopefully reduce the bitterness more).

Here are a lot more endive recipes. Thanks Discover Endive for the Valentine surprise!

Have you ever tried endives before?

RECIPE:

Honey Roasted Endive

Adapted from Saveur

  • 6 medium-size Belgian endives
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 2 tsp. chopped thyme
  •  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Slice endives in half lengthwise and remove as much of the bitter core as you can. Place endive halves into a baking dish.

2. Combine butter, olive oil, honey, thyme, salt and pepper in a small pan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. When mixture starts bubbling, remove from heat and pour evenly over endives in dish.

 3. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until endives have softened and turned brown around the edges.

 

11 Comments on Honey Roasted Endive

  1. Jennifer | Mother Thyme
    February 16, 2012 at 12:20 pm (12 years ago)

    What a delicious way to serve Endive! Look forward to trying this.

    Reply
    • Stephanie
      February 16, 2012 at 3:25 pm (12 years ago)

      @Jennifer – thanks! I hope you enjoy it.

  2. Living The Sweet Life
    February 19, 2012 at 11:32 am (12 years ago)

    That’s a lovely valentines day bouquet 😉 – – if that isn’t love, I don’t know what is. This is such a great recipe – I love roasted vegetables, but have never tried endives … I think this is a must!!
    Living The Sweet Life recently posted Nona’s Italian Wedding Zuppa

    Reply
    • Stephanie
      February 20, 2012 at 8:23 am (12 years ago)

      @Living the Sweet Life – isn’t it sweet? I love roasted veggies too. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

  3. Debs @ The Spanish Wok
    February 28, 2012 at 12:38 am (12 years ago)

    A boquet of endive. What a lovely idea and it looks so pretty too.

    Love the idea of roasting them in honey. Will have to try this soon.
    Debs @ The Spanish Wok recently posted Cancer Fighting Foods

    Reply
    • Stephanie
      February 28, 2012 at 7:04 am (12 years ago)

      @Debs – thanks, hope you enjoy it!

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