Chicory Witlof With Gruyere And Ham Recipes

CHICORY/WITLOF WITH GRUYERE AND HAM

Steps:

• Clean chicory heads, remove outer leaves and cut off about 1 cm from the thick end of the chicory.
• Fill a large pot with water and add lemon, butter and salt, add chicory and boil for about 20-30 minutes or until tender (cooking time depends on the size of the chicories) Once cooked, drain really well (or all the excess water will leak out later and make your cheese sauce very very thin).
• Take 2 slices of ham and arrange them slightly overlapping on a cutting board, using tongs, place a chicory in the middle, sprinkle a small amount of the grated gruyere on and roll it up. (when I make this as a main course I personally use 3 slices of ham for each chicory, but that's just personal preference).
• Place the ham rolled chicory in an ovenproof dish.
• To make the cheese sauce:.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan, take off the heat and add the flour, using a whisk to blend it into a smooth paste with the cream and then add the milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Return the sauce to the heat to cook and thicken, whisking constantly. Don't worry if it looks overly thick, no matter how much water you get out of the chicory there will still be some left in there somewhere to make your sauce a little bit thinner.
• Lastly, add the rest of the grated Gruyere to the sauce (and Sbrinz cheese if you are using that too) stir, and then pour the sauce over the ham rolled chicorys.
• Put into a preheated oven at 220 C (425 F) for 10-20 minutes and serve hot.
• Serve with any pasta type that will coat with the sauce well.
• NOTE: I sometimes replace the cream with a soya product that we have here called "soya cusine" if you are watching your intake of dairy products, cholesterol etc then this is a healthier option and doesn't effect the taste of the dish at all.

SAVORY GRUYèRE BREAD WITH HAM

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a metal 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir in the chopped ham, scallions if using, thyme, and 1¾ cups (7 ounces) of the Gruyère (reserving the rest for topping). In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. The batter will be thick.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup (1 ounce) cheese over the top. Bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on the wire rack.

BRAISED ENDIVE WITH HAM AND GRUYèRE

Steps:

• To cook the endive, combine the butter, sugar, salt, and 10 1/2 cups water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Add the endive, cover, and cook until very tender, about 45 minutes. A knife should be able to pierce through with no resistance. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the endive to paper towels. Reserve 1 1/4 cups cooking liquid. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the endive.
• Wrap each endive with slices of ham. Arrange the endive in a shallow baking dish that holds them snugly; you don't want any space between the endive.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until golden. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture smells nutty, about 2 minutes. Continue whisking and add the milk, then the reserved endive cooking liquid in a slow, steady stream. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking. Continue whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg and pepper.
• Pour the béchamel over the endive and spread to cover them evenly. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. If you want the top more browned and crusty, broil for a minute or two after baking. Serve hot.

SPAETZLE BAKED WITH HAM AND GRUYERE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together 1 2/3 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Combine 3/4 cup milk and 2 eggs, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk until combined. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Hold a colander with large holes (about 1/4-inch in diameter) over boiling water; spoon about 1/2 cup dough into colander. Press the dough through holes with a rubber spatula (droplets will form spaetzle); set colander aside. Cook 3 minutes or until done (spaetzle will rise to surface). Remove with a slotted spoon; drain in a strainer (spaetzle will stick to a paper towel). Repeat procedure with remaining dough.
• Heat a medium nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in ham. Combine spaetzle and onion mixture in a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, tossing gently.
• Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons flour, and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Pour milk mixture over spaetzle mixture. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.

WITLOF WITH HAM

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium heat. When the grill is ready, lightly brush the grate with oil.
• Place the endive in a shallow baking dish with 1/4 cup of water. Cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 2 minutes, or until slightly tender. Remove from dish, and pat dry.
• Wrap each whole endive with prosciutto, and pierce with a toothpick to secure. Place each piece directly on grill and cook, turning occasionally, until ham is browned and endive is tender, approximately 3 minutes.
• Place in a disposable foil baking dish, and sprinkle with the cheese. Return to the grill, cover, and continue cooking until cheese has melted.