Gratin d'Endives au Jambon mit Comté

A classic French gratin of chicory, cooked ham and a creamy béchamel, baked with savoury Comté. A hearty bistro dish that makes a simple meal with salad or baguette.

By yumbelo · 4 servings · 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 pc Chicory (endive, Belgian endive)
• 200 g sliced cooked ham
• 40 g butter
• 40 g wheat flour
• 500 ml milk
• 120 g Comté, grated
• 1 pinch nutmeg, grated
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt
• black pepper, freshly ground

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C conventional heat and grease a shallow ovenproof dish with a little butter.
2. Trim the chicory, cut out the bitter core in a wedge shape and halve the heads lengthways. Drizzle with lemon juice so they don't turn brown.
3. Sauté the chicory halves in a pan with 10 g butter over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until lightly golden all over, and season with salt and pepper.
4. For the béchamel, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, sprinkle in the flour while stirring and cook for 1 to 2 minutes without letting it colour.
5. Gradually whisk in the cold milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring the sauce to the boil and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes until it thickens into a creamy sauce.
6. Season the béchamel with salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir in half of the Comté.
7. Layer the chicory halves in the dish, arrange the ham slices on top or wrap them around the chicory, and pour the béchamel over.
8. Sprinkle the remaining Comté evenly over the top and bake the gratin on the middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
9. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving so the gratin cuts neatly.