Endive and Ham Gratin – A Classic French Dish

A classic French dish known in France as “Endives au Jambon”, this Belgian endive and Ham Gratin is a typical dish of Northern France and Belgium.

Gently soften endives cooked in a wine-water boil and then enrobe them into a slice of ham, covered with a delightful white cream, with lots of cheese. They are baked to perfection until bubbly.

It is a true delight for your taste buds as you can taste the bitter endives and the creamy cheese deliciousness.

One of my favorite dinners while growing up. I remember preparing this endive recipe when I was pretty young as it was, and still is, super easy to prepare.

Endives abound this time of year, and I could not pass up the opportunity to make this dish and share it with all of you.

In this Article

The key ingredients of this dish are endives, bechamel sauce, ham, and cheese.

Belgian Endives

Belgian Endives, also called “chicons,” in the North of France and Belgium, is a star ingredient of the region’s cuisine. France is one of the biggest producers of endives in the world.

Their season goes from October to May. Fantastic vegetables as it offers so many ways to be prepared.

You can enjoy it raw in salads, where you can taste the freshness and crispiness of it.

It is also delicious cooked boiled, braised, or in a gratin where the taste softens and is mellow.

This endive and ham gratin is one of the most favorite ways to enjoy them in France.

Ham

If I were in France, I would use “Jambon de Paris,” which is recommended with this recipe.

A much leaner ham, unsmoked and very mild flavored, is sold cooked, sliced, and ready to be enjoyed. It is readily available in every grocery store and butcher shop.

However, it is less available or standard in the USA; thus, I replaced it with a high-quality sliced ham.

Remember that if you are not using “Jambon de Paris,” other hams are saltier; therefore, do not oversalt your cream.

Bechamel Sauce

Called one of the 5 French Mother Sauces. Creamy and light, bechamel sauce is the base of many dishes—a must-have in your repertoire of French cooking.

Used often in my cooking, such as Croque Monsieur, Cauliflower, and Goat cheese gratin, and even with my Lasagne al Forno.

Chef Tip:

I added cooking wine and water to create the sauce with this recipe. The richness of the wine adds a new layer of flavor, or as I like to call it, deliciousness.

Please do not skip this step, as you will regret it. The difference that it makes is incredible.

Cheese

I used Gruyere, but Emmenthal will work beautifully, too.

As you can see from my recipe, I have added the cheese over the sauce. This is my preference. Of course, you can add it to the bechamel sauce; after it has melted, you can cover your endives.

I leave that up to you, as both versions are pretty enjoyable. Just remember that cheese does contain fat, and once it is baked, it will melt.

Do not panic when you bring your dish out of the oven and some is on the top. It is normal.

Cooking tips and step-by-step instructions on how to make this endive recipe

This recipe is relatively straightforward and will take no time to prepare.

Let’s start with the endives:

• Remove the bottom hard core and any leaves that may have some bruising.

• Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan, large enough to hold the endives, with water and the wine to a boil.

• Add the endives, salt them, and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat once to a full boil and cook covered for 10 minutes. The endives will be soft.
• Remove the endives with a slotted spoon.

How to make bechamel cream:

• Melt butter in a saucepan, add the flour, and vigorously stir. This will create a wonderful paste-like mixture. Let it cook for a minute, stirring constantly as you want the nuttiness of the butter to come out.

• Add the wine water and milk, stir to dissolve the butter-flour paste, and start creating the sauce.

• Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and continue stirring until a rich cream forms.

• Bring to a boil, keep a keen eye over it as you do not want to spill.

Assembling and baking

Now that your sauce is ready and your endives are squeezed so no more juices come out, you are ready to put your dish together.

• Place around each endive a slice of ham and place it on a buttured gratin dish.

• Pour over the sauce to cover.

• Distribute your Gruyere cheese all over it and place in the hot oven for 10 minutes or until the top is starting to brown.

As every oven is different and altitude has a lot to do with oven baking, make sure that it is bubbling and browning gently.

What is a gratin?

Any eggs, milk, or cream mixture baked in a shallow dish without any pastry shell is considered a gratin.

Variations

• Add an egg yolk to the bechamel cream at the last minute to make a more decadent sauce.

• Add the cheese to your bechamel, making it a Mornay sauce. Mix well and make sure all the cheese is melted before pouring it over the endives.

Storing and reheating

You can prepare the bechamel sauce early on and return it to room temperature before adding it to the endives.

The endives can be cooked the night before and returned to room temperature. Once at room temperature, you can continue assembling it and baking it until the cheese is bubble and light golden.

Frequently Asked Questions