Endive and Ham Gratin with Gruyère
Tender braised endives wrapped in ham, baked under a golden gruyère béchamel until bubbling. A comforting stovetop-to-oven gratin that keeps the endives sweet and the cheese deeply browned.
- Total
- 81 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 51 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Making a roux · Simmering
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Trim the base of the 6 endives and remove any bruised outer leaves. Melt 20 g butter in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the endives in a single layer, season with 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper, and cook 12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes, until tender and lightly golden. Transfer to a plate.
~15 min
Searing the endives over medium heat caramelizes their natural sugars, which mellows bitterness and builds a golden, tender base.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the endives braise, melt the remaining 30 g butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 40 g flour and cook 1 minute until it smells nutty. Pour in 500 ml milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly, and simmer 5 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Stir in 80 g gruyère, the remaining 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper until smooth.
~5 min
Cooking the flour in butter first removes its raw taste and thickens the milk into a smooth béchamel that won't taste pasty.
Making a roux Cook the flour and butter for a full minute until it smells nutty but hasn't browned; undercooking leaves a raw flour taste, overcooking burns it.
Simmering Keep the béchamel at a gentle simmer, whisking constantly, until it thickly coats the back of a spoon; boiling hard can scorch the bottom.
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Wrap each braised endive in 1 slice jambon and lay them seam-side down in a baking dish. Pour the béchamel over the top and scatter the remaining 40 g gruyère evenly across the surface.
~8 min
Squeeze the braised endives gently with a spatula to press out excess water before wrapping; wet endives make the béchamel runny.
-
Bake 25 minutes until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the gruyère is melted and browned in spots. If the top is pale after 20 minutes, broil 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely so the cheese does not burn.
~48 min
Baking until the sauce bubbles and the cheese browns develops a rich crust and ensures the gratin is piping hot throughout.
If your baking dish is shallow, the béchamel reduces faster and browns sooner, so check at 18 minutes instead of 25.
-
Let the gratin stand 10 minutes so the béchamel sets and the slices hold together, then serve straight from the dish.
~10 min
Resting lets the béchamel thicken and set, so the slices hold together instead of running when served.