Salade d'endives
A winter salad from northern France and Belgium, where endive is grown in the dark so its leaves stay white and delicate. The combination is classic and balanced: bitter endive, salty Roquefort, sweet pear and walnuts. Two things decide the flavour. Cutting out the bitter core at the base noticeably softens the bitterness. And the vinaigrette is made with walnut oil, which ties everything together.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Toasting walnuts 6 min
- Vinaigrette 4 min
- Assembly 10 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneCut the bitter core from the endive
Halve the endive lengthways and cut a cone of hard core from the base with a sharp knife. Most of the bitterness sits there. Separate the leaves with your fingers, halving large ones.
Ingredients: 4 pcs Belgian endives · 120 g Roquefort · 70 g walnuts · 1 pcs pear · 1 tbsp chives
The core cone out — that is where the bitterness is.Do not soak the endive
Do not soak endive in water — just wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. Endive is forced in the dark without soil, so it is clean; soaked, it takes up water and turns watery and more bitter.
Ingredients: 4 pcs Belgian endives · 120 g Roquefort · 70 g walnuts · 1 pcs pear · 1 tbsp chives
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan 5–6 minutes over medium heat, shaking, until fragrant. Toasting draws out the nut oil and gives crunch. Cool and break roughly with your fingers.
Ingredients: 4 pcs Belgian endives · 120 g Roquefort · 70 g walnuts · 1 pcs pear · 1 tbsp chives
Until fragrant — toasting brings out oil and crunch.Emulsify the vinaigrette
Mix the mustard with the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper, then pour in both oils in a stream, beating with a fork, until thickened. The honey tames the endive's bitterness — without it the salad can be too bitter.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp walnut oil · 1 tbsp neutral oil · 1½ tbsp white wine vinegar · 1 tsp Dijon mustard · ½ tsp honey · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Walnut oil in a stream — and a touch of honey for the bitterness.Slice the pear thinly
Slice the pear thinly just before assembling and sprinkle with a little vinegar so it does not brown. The pear's sweetness balances the endive's bitterness and the Roquefort's salt.
Ingredients: 4 pcs Belgian endives · 120 g Roquefort · 70 g walnuts · 1 pcs pear · 1 tbsp chives
Toss the endive with vinaigrette
Pour half the vinaigrette over the endive leaves and toss gently by hand. Endive is crisp and brittle — tossed with spoons it snaps into small pieces.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp walnut oil · 1 tbsp neutral oil · 1½ tbsp white wine vinegar · 1 tsp Dijon mustard · ½ tsp honey · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Crumble the Roquefort on top
Arrange the endive on a plate, crumble the Roquefort over with your fingers in irregular pieces and add the pear and walnuts. Roquefort mixed into the dressing melts into a grey mass.
Ingredients: 4 pcs Belgian endives · 120 g Roquefort · 70 g walnuts · 1 pcs pear · 1 tbsp chives
Pour over the rest and serve
Drizzle with the rest of the vinaigrette, scatter with chives and fresh pepper and serve at once. In France it is served as a starter or a light winter lunch.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp walnut oil · 1 tbsp neutral oil · 1½ tbsp white wine vinegar · 1 tsp Dijon mustard · ½ tsp honey · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Before you start
Roquefort or another blue
Sheep's milk Roquefort is the boldest and saltiest. For a milder result use bleu d'Auvergne or gorgonzola dolce. The cheese should be cold — it crumbles more easily into distinct pieces.
Red endive
Red endive, a cross of endive and radicchio, is slightly more bitter but gives striking colour. A mix of white and red is a popular Paris bistro version.
Eat at once
Dressed endive loses its crunch within a quarter of an hour. The vinaigrette keeps a week in the fridge, toasted walnuts two weeks in a jar. Always assemble just before serving.
