Ham and endives au gratin

A recipe from cooking-ez.com

For 6 people, you will need:

• 1 1 kg endives (head of chicory)
• 2 250 g ham
• 3 250 g smoked cheese
• 4 1 shallot
• 5 50 g semi-salted butter
• 6 parsley
• 7 ½ lemon
• 8 350 g Bechamel sauce
• 9 salt
• 10 pepper
• Total weight: 1,990 grams

Times:

Preparation	Cooking	Start to finish
35 min.	40 min.	1 hour 15 min.

Step by step recipe

1	Prepare and slice 1 kg endives (head of chicory). Set aside.
2	Cut 250 g ham into small pieces. Set aside. Note: I'm using ham heel here, but slices will work just as well.
3	Cut 250 g smoked cheese (here raclette cheese) into small pieces. Set aside.
4	Slice 1 shallot.
5	In a large frying pan or saucepan over high heat, melt 50 g semi-salted butter and when it has melted and begun to brown slightly (it's a beurre noisette) add the chopped shallot and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
6	Add the endives and mix well. Cook for approx. 3-5 minutes, until just tender.
7	Add the ham and mix well.
8	Add the chopped parsley and ½ lemon juice. Mix one last time, check the seasoning and remove from the heat.
9	Assembling the gratin Preheat your oven to 180°C (360°F). Butter a gratin dish and pour the endives + ham into the bottom.
10	Pour over 350 g Bechamel sauce.
11	Finish with the diced cheese.
12	Bake for about 50 minutes at 180°C (360°F).

Remarks

You can also bake it in individual cassolettes rather than in a traditional oven dish.
When you prepare the béchamel sauce, you can add a little of the same cheese as in the recipe at the end of cooking, for an even more pronounced taste.

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