Irresistible Belgian Endive Gratin with Creamy Goat Cheese & Crispy Prosciutto: The Ultimate Casserole Recipe

Discover a truly exceptional homemade recipe that transforms the often-misunderstood Belgian endive into a culinary masterpiece: a stunning gratin featuring creamy goat cheese and savory Prosciutto ham. This dish is designed to captivate even the most skeptical palates, turning perceived “chicory haters” into genuine enthusiasts. Imagine tender, slightly bitter chicory (also known as Belgian endive), perfectly softened and then delicately rolled in a slice of exquisitely salty Prosciutto. As it bakes, the goat cheese melts into a bubbling, golden crust, while the aromatic notes of honey, fresh orange zest and juice, fragrant thyme, and crunchy walnuts elevate this casserole to an entirely new level of deliciousness. This isn’t just a chicory gratin; it’s an experience that promises to make everyone fall in love with this versatile vegetable.

Do you often find that many people shy away from chicory or Belgian endive due to its inherent bitterness? You’re not alone! However, prepare to challenge those preconceptions with this incredible Belgian Endive Goat Cheese Casserole. This recipe is a game-changer, guaranteed to convert even the most hesitant diners into devoted chicory lovers. Each tender head of endive is lovingly rolled in thin slices of premium Prosciutto ham, then generously topped with tangy goat cheese, vibrant orange rind, a sweet drizzle of honey, fragrant fresh thyme, and crunchy walnuts. All these wonderful ingredients are then stewed and baked in fresh orange juice, creating a harmonious blend of sweet, salty, tangy, and earthy flavors. Who could possibly resist such an alluring combination? It’s a truly delicious and sophisticated twist on the more traditional chicory, ham, and cheese casserole.

This delightful recipe is lovingly adapted from the culinary insights found on the Dutch blog, Domaine Malpas kookt, bringing a touch of European charm to your kitchen.

Key Ingredients for Your Belgian Endive & Goat Cheese Gratin

Crafting the perfect Belgian endive gratin relies on selecting high-quality ingredients that complement each other beautifully. Here’s a deeper look at what you’ll need and why each component is essential:

• Chicory (Belgian Endive): This fresh, crisp vegetable is the star of our dish. While some people are deterred by its natural bitterness, this recipe expertly counteracts it. The key is to prepare it correctly: always cut off the very end of the chicory head and then halve it lengthwise to expose the more bitter core. Carefully cut out and remove this core – a simple step that makes a significant difference. While chicory is often enjoyed raw in salads, this oven-baked casserole showcases its incredible potential when cooked, transforming its texture and mellowing its flavor.
• Prosciutto: We use a thinly sliced, dried-cured Italian ham known for its delicate texture and distinctly salty, savory flavor profile. When baked in the oven, Prosciutto becomes wonderfully crispy, adding a delightful textural contrast to the soft chicory. If Prosciutto isn’t available or you prefer an alternative, you can easily substitute it with other cured hams like Parma ham, Coburger ham, or even smoked bacon for a richer, more robust flavor.
• Goat Cheese: Opt for a soft, fresh goat cheese in this recipe. Its creamy texture makes it easy to crumble, and it melts beautifully to form a golden, tangy crust over the chicory. The characteristic piquant and earthy notes of goat cheese pair exceptionally well with the chicory and salty ham. If goat cheese isn’t to your liking, blue cheese offers a similar strong flavor profile, or for a milder, more universally appealing option, a good quality grated cheese like Gouda, Gruyère, or even mozzarella would work wonderfully.
• Orange: Both the fragrant rind (zest) and the fresh juice of an orange are crucial for this gratin. The zest adds a bright, citrusy aroma and a subtle tang to the dish. The orange juice, used for stewing the chicory, helps to tenderize the vegetable and infuses it with a delightful sweetness that perfectly balances any lingering bitterness from the endive, creating a nuanced and refreshing flavor.
• Honey, Thyme, and Walnuts: These three ingredients provide the perfect finishing touches, adding layers of flavor and texture that truly make this casserole stand out. The honey, drizzled generously, caramelizes beautifully in the oven, creating a sticky, sweet glaze. Fresh thyme sprigs (or a pinch of dried thyme) lend an aromatic, earthy herbaceousness. Finally, the walnuts provide a wonderful crunch and a nutty depth that complements the other ingredients, particularly the goat cheese and honey.

🔪 How to Prepare This Delicious Belgian Endive & Goat Cheese Casserole

This chicory and goat cheese casserole is surprisingly simple to put together, promising a gourmet-style dish with minimal effort. Follow these straightforward steps to create a truly memorable side or main course.

Step 1: Prepare the Chicory. Begin by thoroughly washing your chicory heads under cold water. Next, carefully slice off the very bottom, or “butt,” of each chicory head. Then, halve each chicory lengthwise. Inside, you’ll find a distinct, slightly tougher core at the base – this is the part responsible for most of the bitterness. Use a small knife to carefully cut out and remove this core from each half. Bring a medium-sized pan of water to a rolling boil. Gently place the chicory halves into the boiling water and blanch them for approximately 8 minutes. This precooking step helps to further soften the endive and reduce its bitterness. Once tender, carefully remove them with a slotted spoon (ensuring the halves remain intact) and let them drain thoroughly in a colander, pressing gently to remove excess water.

Step 2: Grate and Juice the Orange. Wash the orange thoroughly. Using a fine grater or microplane, carefully grate the outer rind, being sure to avoid the white pith underneath, which can be bitter. Once zested, halve the orange and squeeze out all its juice. Set both the grated rind and the fresh orange juice aside, as they will be used later to infuse the casserole with vibrant citrus notes.

Step 3: Prepare Chicory Rolls. Lay a slice of Prosciutto ham flat on a clean surface. Place one half of the pre-cooked and drained chicory onto the prosciutto. Gently but firmly roll the Prosciutto around the chicory half, creating a neat bundle. Arrange these chicory-prosciutto rolls snugly in a casserole or oven-safe baking dish. Repeat this process with the remaining chicory halves and Prosciutto slices until all are neatly arranged in your dish.

Step 4: Assemble and Bake Your Belgian Endive Gratin. With your chicory rolls in place, it’s time to build the layers of flavor. Evenly pour the fresh orange juice around the base of the chicory rolls in the casserole dish. Next, generously sprinkle the grated orange rind over the chicory. Crumble the soft goat cheese over the top of each Prosciutto-wrapped chicory bundle, ensuring good coverage. Drizzle the honey artfully over the entire dish, allowing it to seep into the cheese and chicory. Finally, scatter the walnuts evenly across the top. Place the assembled casserole into your preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and bake for 15 minutes. After this initial baking period, turn on the grill (broiler) function of your oven and continue to bake for another 5 minutes, or until the goat cheese is beautifully bubbling and golden brown, and the Prosciutto edges are delightfully crispy. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Tips & Variations for Your Perfect Chicory Casserole

Enhance your Belgian endive gratin experience with these helpful tips and creative variations:

• **Removing the Bitter Core:** For a truly bitterness-free chicory, in addition to slicing off the butt and halving, you can use an apple corer to precisely remove the cone-shaped bitter core from each chicory half. This method ensures maximum core removal without losing too much of the edible part.
• **Alternative Cooking Method:** Instead of boiling, consider stewing the chicory in a knob of butter for about 10 minutes until tender. This method infuses the chicory with a rich, creamy flavor that perfectly complements the other ingredients, adding another layer of indulgence to your gratin.
• **No Pre-cooking Option:** If you’re short on time or prefer a firmer texture, you can skip the precooking (boiling) of the chicory. However, you’ll need to adjust the oven time, baking the casserole for a longer period, typically around 25 minutes, before turning on the grill. Be aware that the texture might be slightly firmer and the bitterness potentially more pronounced.
• **Reducing Bitterness with Milk:** If you’re still concerned about the chicory’s bitterness, a classic trick is to add approximately ¼ cup (50 ml) of milk to the water when you boil the chicory. The milk helps to neutralize the bitter compounds, resulting in a milder, sweeter endive.
• **Ham Substitutes:** While Prosciutto offers a distinct salty-sweet profile, feel free to experiment with other cured meats. Parma ham and Coburger ham are excellent direct substitutes, offering similar delicate textures and savory notes. For a bolder, smokier flavor, thick-cut bacon can also be used, which will crisp up beautifully in the oven.
• **Cheese Alternatives:** If goat cheese isn’t your preference, don’t hesitate to substitute! A creamy blue cheese will offer a sharp, tangy counterpoint, while a good quality grated cheese such as Gouda, Gruyère, or even a blend of mozzarella and Parmesan will provide a milder, more comforting gratin. Choose a cheese that melts well and complements the other strong flavors.

Effortless Chicory Casserole: No Pre-cooking Required!

For those times when you need a quicker solution or prefer a slightly different texture, this Belgian endive and goat cheese casserole can certainly be prepared without pre-cooking the chicory in boiling water. The most straightforward approach is to simply add an extra 10 minutes to the total oven baking time. However, it’s worth noting that if the chicory isn’t fully submerged in the liquids, the cooking might be less uniform, leaving the top parts a bit firmer. If you don’t mind a slight variation in tenderness, this method is undoubtedly the simplest way to get your delicious gratin on the table faster.

Alternatively, for a truly no-boil, quick-prep version, you can completely change the preparation method. After cutting out the bitter core from the chicory, finely chop the endive heads. Mix the chopped chicory directly in the baking dish with strips of Prosciutto. Pour the fresh orange juice over this mixture, ensuring it’s well distributed. Then, simply crumble the goat cheese, scatter the walnuts, sprinkle the orange rind, and add the fresh thyme over the entire dish. Bake this mixture in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, then switch on the grill for the last few minutes to get that lovely golden, bubbling cheese and crispy ham. This approach yields a more integrated casserole with a delightful texture and all the same fantastic flavors, perfect for a speedy weeknight meal.

Storage & Leftover Tips for Your Belgian Endive Gratin

• Immediate Enjoyment: This chicory goat cheese casserole is truly best enjoyed fresh out of the oven. The textures of the crispy Prosciutto, melted goat cheese, and tender chicory are at their peak when served right away. We don’t recommend storing this particular casserole once baked, as the chicory can become watery and the prosciutto can lose its crispness.
• Storing Leftover Chicory: If you have any raw, unbaked chicory heads remaining, they can be stored unwashed in the refrigerator for up to 8 days. To use them later, consider incorporating them into a vibrant salad. They pair beautifully with sweet elements like raisins or segmented orange pieces, and a light vinaigrette.
• Freezing Chicory: For longer storage of raw chicory, you can blanch it first (cook in boiling water for 2 minutes), then cool it rapidly in ice water, drain well, and freeze. Blanched and frozen chicory can be stored for up to 2 months. However, note that frozen chicory is best used in cooked dishes like soups or other gratins, as its texture may soften too much for fresh salads after thawing.

If you’ve enjoyed this delightful Belgian endive and goat cheese casserole, you might also find these other delicious vegetable recipes to be excellent choices for your next meal!

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Belgian endive au gratin with goat cheese and prosciutto ham

Andréa

A homemade recipe for a Belgian endive au gratin with goat cheese and Prosciutto ham. The soft chicory is rolled in a slice of salty Prosciutto ham and the goat cheese is bubbling and golden.

5 of 43 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Dutch

Servings 4 persons

Calories 291 kcal

Equipment

• A conventional oven is used. When using a convection oven (with air fan) decrease the temperature with 30 °F / 20 °C

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Ingredients

• ▢ 4 heads chicory
• ▢ 8 slices Prosciutto
• ▢ 100 grams goat cheese, soft
• ▢ 1 orange
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ 1 tablespoons fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
• ▢ 30 grams walnuts

All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

Preparation

• ▢
  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit / 180 degrees Celsius.
• ▢
  Wash the orange and grate the skin.
• ▢
  Halve the orange and juice it.
• ▢
  Slice the bottom of the chicory and half it. Cut the core out.
• ▢
  Put a pan with a bit of water, approximately 2 inches (5 cm), on the stove and bring to the boil.

Chicory goat cheese casserole

• ▢
  Put the halve chicory heads carefully in the boiling water and cook them for 8 minutes.
• ▢
  Drain the chicory in a colander.
• ▢
  Put a slice of Prosciutto in front of you and put half a chicory head on top. Roll the prosciutto around the chicory. Put in the oven dish.
• ▢
  Repeat for all the Prosciutto slices.
• ▢
  Pour the orange juice around the chicory.
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  Sprinkle orange grind on top of the chicory.
• ▢
  Crumble the goat cheese on top of the Prosciutto.
• ▢
  Drizzle some honey on top and sprinkle the thyme.
• ▢
  Top the casserole with the walnuts.
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  Put the casserole in the oven for 15 minutes.
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  Then turn on the grill and bake for another 5 minutes.
• ▢
  Serve.

Notes

• You can also remove the bitter core of the chicory by cutting off the butt and removing the core with an apple corer.
• Instead of boiling, you can also stew the chicory in butter for 10 minutes for a delicious creamy taste.
• The chicory doesn’t necessarily have to be precooked. Then adjust your oven time to 25 minutes. And then turn on the grill.
• If you think the chicory is still bitter, add ¼ cup (50 ml) of milk to the water in which you boil the chicory.
• Instead of Prosciutto, you can also choose Parma ham, Coburger ham, or bacon.
• Goat cheese can be replaced by Blue cheese or a delicious grated cheese like Gouda.

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 14gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 297mgFiber: 15gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 10174IUVitamin C: 50mgIron: 5mg

Keyword a casserole with chicory, a vegetable recipe

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