I recently made these for a Christmas party and they went over pretty darn well, if I do say so myself! They make for a very festive-looking appetizer and are easy to put together. I particularly like the way the endive, which is slightly bitter and a little peppery, contrasts with the sweetness of the romaine lettuce and the honey-Dijon vinaigrette.
If you’ve been following my blog at all, you’ll know that I’m having a bit of a love affair with pomegranates right now. I try to add them to everything I can think of. If you don’t like pomegranates (is that even possible??), feel free to used dried cranberries instead.
I like to make a double batch of this and eat it over a few days. Just leave the dressing off and add right before serving. Also, make sure to properly store the endive by placing it on a dish covered with a slightly damp paper towel. It’s very fragile, sensitive to light and should be stored in the fridge – otherwise it will brown and become quite bitter.
Ingredients
1 head Belgian endive
1 head of romaine lettuce – chopped into fairly small pieces
1/4 red onion – small dice
1/2 small granny smith apple – small dice
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds plus extra for garnish (see this post for how to remove pomegranate seeds from the fruit)
Dressing
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 tbsp. good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. honey or agave nectar
sea salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- Prepare dressing. I like to store mine in a jar as I almost always have extra. Then I can just shake the jar and pour it on the next batch of salad.
- Place all ingredients, except endive and dressing, in a mixing bowl.
- Cut the core end off the endive. Remove any brown leaves and clean by gently wiping both sides with a lightly damp paper towel. Pull off as many leaves as you want to use and store the remainder in the fridge under a lightly damp paper towel.
- Add as much dressing to the salad as you desire. I prefer to use as little as possible so that when I bite into a stuffed spear, I don’t end up with dressing running down my chin!
- Place 1-2 tablespoons of salad into each endive spear. Arrange on a platter and garish with extra pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.
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