Braised Witlof wrapped in Ham Gratin

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

4 witlof (endive)
Juice of ½ an orange
30g butter
4 slices of doubles smoked ham
¾ cup gruyere cheese grated

Béchamel Sauce
30 g plain flour
30 g butter or margarine
½ litre milk
Salt, nutmeg & pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to grill

Peel the witlof of any outer leaves

Melt butter in a wide braising pan over medium low heat. Lay endives in one layer in the pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper and orange juice over the endive. Cook for 15-20 minutes. A knife stuck easily into the core should tell you they’re done. Remove from pan.

Wrap a slice of ham around each witlof and lay them in a baking dish.

Pour the béchamel sauce on top of the wrapped witlof and sprinkle the grated gruyere cheese all over.

Bake it for about 4 minutes until golden brown.

Béchamel sauce

Melt the butter in a sauce pan at medium heat. Add the flour into the melted butter and stir it well with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir vigorously until you obtain a mousse like mixture.

Stir in the milk a little at a time (make sure it’s well incorporated), stir vigorously to avoid getting lumps.

When half the milk is incorporated, start adding larger amounts milk, stirring constantly (I use a whisk at this stage).

Whisk it until it thickens.

Season it with salt, nutmeg and pepper.