Endive with Roquefort Dressing and Toasted Nuts
This simple appetizer comes together in about 10 minutes and is so satisfying. The crunchy endive and creamy blue cheese dressing are matched up with butter-toasted pine nuts and walnuts. It can be served plated or in bowls, ready to be assembled by your guests (our preferred method). This recipe is inspired by Ottolenghi’s Nutty Endive with Roquefort from his book, Plenty.
Yield: enough for about 4-6 appetizer servings
Ingredients
3 heads endive (choose a mix of red and white if you can find both varieties)
3/4 cup crème fraîche*
1 1/2 to 2 oz. Roquefort blue cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 tablespoon butter
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Microplane grater
Instructions
Separate and clean the endive leaves. To do this, cut off a small portion of the base and pull off the outermost leaves (see silly sketch below). Continue to trim the base to separate inner layers of leaves. Pop the leaves into the basket of your salad spinner and give them a good wash. Spin to dry. Place the leaves in a serving bowl.
Sketch of how to separate endive leaves from the head.
Add the crème fraîche to a small bowl. Using the Microplane grater, grate about 3/4 of the Roquefort into the bowl (if you find the cheese too soft to grate, you can place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes - or just crumble and finely chop). Crumble the remaining 1/4 of cheese and add to the bowl (we like the mixture of finely grated cheese and larger crumbles). Mix well. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and a few good grinds of black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Transfer the Roquefort dressing to a small serving bowl.
Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble, add the pine nuts and chopped walnuts. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook until the nuts are lightly toasted and fragrant. Transfer the toasted nuts to a small serving bowl.
Endive leaf with a bit of Roquefort dressing, topped with toasted pine nuts and walnuts.
Place a small serving spoon into the dressing and another small spoon with the nuts. Guests can either use the dressing as a dip or spoon a small amount into an endive leaf. Top with a small amount of the nuts and enjoy.
Notes
*Select a crème fraîche that has a slightly more liquid consistency for the best results. We have found that the crème fraîche sold by Trader Joe’s is a perfect consistency for this dressing. While we like the crème fraîche from Vermont Creamery for other applications (it’s the one in the bright pink container), it’s too thick for this dressing. If all you can find is a thicker crème fraîche, the dressing can’t be used as a dip; instead, consider spooning a bit of the mixture into each leaf, top with some nuts, and serve as a plated appetizer.
