Chicons au Gratin

Chicons au gratin is Belgian endive braised until tender, wrapped in a slice of ham, covered in béchamel and cheese, and baked until the top browns. Belgian endive itself was discovered by accident in the 1830s, when a Belgian farmer stored chicory roots in a dark cellar and found pale, tightly furled shoots growing from them — the vegetable this whole dish is built around exists because of that accident.

What it really is

Whole endive heads braise slowly in a little butter and water until they soften through and lose most of their raw bitterness, then drain well before each one wraps in a single slice of cooked ham. The wrapped endives line a baking dish, get covered entirely in a béchamel sauce, topped with grated cheese, and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese browns on top. Draining the braised endive properly matters — too much liquid left in makes the finished gratin watery underneath the sauce.

The bitterness of the endive is meant to survive the braising, not disappear completely. A chicons au gratin where the endive tastes only sweet has been overcooked or over-sweetened; the dish's balance depends on some of that characteristic bitter edge coming through against the rich sauce and ham.

How it's served

• Hot, straight from the baking dish, one or two wrapped endives per portion.
• With boiled or mashed potato alongside.
• As a main course, a common weeknight family dinner in Belgium.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the dairy in the béchamel and cheese, and the wheat if the sauce uses a flour roux.
• Say if a vegetarian version without ham is available.
• Note the endive's bitterness as a feature, not a flaw, for guests unfamiliar with the vegetable.