Caramelised Belgian Endive Filled with Goat's Cheese, with Crisp Almonds and Dates

A vegetable dish that has been in my repertoire, since my time as Chef of French Farm where the restaurant was surrounded in lavender hedges either served as a vegetable, wrapped in Parma ham as a first course or to accompany pot-roasted fragent Cornish rock hen.

Ingredients

• 8 Belgian Endive, (whitlof)
• sea salt
• 250gm fresh goats cheese
• ¼ cup fresh white breadcrumbs
• ½ cup unsalted butter plus 2tbsp
• 3 sprigs thyme
• ½ sprig lavender petals
• 1 bay leaf
• 1½ cups golden chicken stock
• 3 oranges juiced
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp slivered almonds
• 6 madjol dates
• 1 egg white
• ¼ cup cornflour

Method

Remove the outside layer of leaves and trim the bottom and remove as much of the core as possible.

Fill a container 1 to 2cm deep with salt and stand endive in the salt for 8 to 12 hours, this helps draw out the bitterness cover with a damp cloth and refrigerate.

PREPARE THE FILLING:

Fold together the goat’s cheese; bread crumbs, picked thyme leaves.

Season with sea salt and freshly milled white pepper.

Remove endive from the salt and wash under cold running water, cut 2cm from the bottom of each endive.

Remove leaves and lay out on a board, divide the filling between 12 leaves and using the remaining leaves wrap around the filling and re shape to form 12 endives.

Smear 12 pieces tin foil heavily with softened butter, scatter over lavender petals and season with sea salt and freshly milled white pepper.

Wrap the foil round the endive and bake in a pre heated oven at 180c for 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a frypan and sauté almonds till golden, remove from pan and drain on absorbent paper.

Remove the stone from the dates and cut each into 10 pieces.

Pass the dates through egg white and into the cornflour, place the cornflower coated dates in a sieve and shake to remove excess cornflower

Fry in oil till crisp 1 to 2 minutes and drain on absorbent paper.

FOR THE SAUCE:

Bring honey and orange juice to the boil and reduce to a light caramel, add the golden chicken stock and reduce to ¼ cup.

Whisk in 3tbsp butter and season with sea salt and freshly milled pepper.

TO SERVE:

Remove the foil from the endives carefully and stand on there base in a pre heated serving dish.Glaze under the grill for 1 to 2 minutes.

Spoon over the sauce, scatter over the almonds and dates.

Suggested Wines to Go With Today's Recipe

RIESLING:

Allan Scott

Esk Valley Black Label

Neudorf Brightwater

Muddy Water

OR SAUVIGNON BLANC:

Cloudy Bay

Wither Hills

Villa Maria

Wairau River

Jackson Estate

Kim Crawford