The Spring Break Cookbook Challenge officially started on Monday. After a long day exploring the city with a friend (i.e. walking and eating), I didn’t feel like eating anything too heavy or that would take more than one hour to make.
Caramelized Endives with Serrano Ham, from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
This cookbook was gifted to me by my good friend Emilie. We have been friends since Secondary 1, when we started drawing our houses on the school library table (don’t ask, no one gets it). Emilie is a foodie, so when she offers you a cookbook, you know it’s going to be full of good stuff.
A couple of things were off with my version of the recipe: my husband asked if I could use his vanilla-flavored almond milk instead of heavy cream for the “stuffing”, and the Serrano ham I bought wasn’t as wide and thin as I am used to (and what I think the recipe called for).
Overall, the recipe was extremely easy to execute. It took just over 30 minutes from start to finish. Although this recipe is supposed to be an appetizer, I served it as a light dinner.
I really enjoyed the result. The bitterness of the endive was surprising at first, but it went well with the saltiness of the ham. Unfortunately, my husband couldn’t get used to the bitter taste so he ended up eating the stuffing and ham and left most of his endives in the plate. I knew endives would be a gamble in our house, and I am simply glad that he was willing to taste them.
Ottolenghi’s cookbook is beautiful and appetizing. A lot of the recipes look very exotic to me, yet I feel like the instructions are clear enough that I would be able to accomplish them. I definitely recommend it!
The Hungry Quebbie 