Seared Endives with balsamic vinegar, stone ground dijon mustard, prosciutto and goat cheese

Seared Endives with balsamic vinegar, stone ground dijon mustard, prosciutto and goat cheese
Adorable little endives seared until slightly crispy and topped with balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, creamy goat cheese and prosciutto.  These are the perfect easy and delicious appetizers to serve at any party, holiday, or just for yourself to enjoy!

Inspiration and thoughts

My mom’s idea is yet again the inspiration for this recipe!  Mom really does know best.  Endives are so adorable, they look like little lettuce heads but cuter.  I hadn’t had too many of them and definitely never made anything with them until my mom brought them home to try one day years ago.  She cut the bottoms, removed each little leaflet, and put different things inside of the leaves like hummus and bruschetta.  I loved them and thought it was the perfect healthy snack.

three endives on wooden plate

I found them at Trader Joe’s right in the produce area, in packs of three, and started to experiment with different ways to eat them.  But I’ve also found them at all of my local grocery stores, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding them.  I now use these little endive bites as an appetizer at every dinner party or gathering I host, and they’re always a hit.  I always make extra because they go so fast and since they’re small, you’ll definitely want to have a lot ready to enjoy.  Sometimes I’ll whip these up quickly for a delicious lunch or snack, which Eli and I have done so many times.  When I was experimenting with my favorite topping combos Eli got to taste test every one of them and let me tell you, they went fast.  I definitely stole a few too!  Let’s get cooking!

How it’s made, notes, substitutions

This recipe really is so simple and easy.  All you have to do, in a nutshell, is cut your endives, sear them, and put yummy toppings on them.  So easy.  My favorite things about these endives are that they’re so versatile.  You can add or remove any of the ingredients for toppings that you desire, or even add any favorites you have too.  I love the ones I chose here and think they really do go well together.  But feel free to anything you want to the top of these yummy seared endives.  If you don’t like any one of the toppings you can easily remove them or substitute them, and the possibilities are endless.

Now to cutting the endives.  Before you cut them, remove a few of the outer leaflets that are already falling or loosely attached to the endive base.  You don’t want these to fall off when searing them. The first step is to remove the bottom part of the endive at the base.  Only cut a very small sliver, just to get the very base removed.  You will want to keep the base of the endive as intact as possible, so when you cut it the leaves are still attached and don’t fall off on the stove.  Cut each endive in half or in thirds, depending on how large the endive is.  I like to cut them in thirds if possible, because I prefer to put the whole endive into my mouth when I eat them! If extra leaves fall off while cutting that is fine – remember you can always sear these by themselves, eat them raw chopped in a salad, or use them as “chips” for hummus or dip.

four seared endives on wooden board

After you’ve got all of your endives cut, they’re ready to be seared.  Heat up a large skillet with oil and add each endive, cut side down, to the pan.  Sear for about two minutes on each side, until the leaves are just slightly browned and look a bit crispy.  You don’t want to over cook these, just a sear, but I really love a good browning on these so a minute extra wont hurt if you prefer that too. After they’re done, drop each one onto a paper towel for a few seconds before you add them to your serving dish, just to remove any excess oil.

Now for the toppings!  Basically, just add everything on top and you’re ready to eat!  Here is what I like to do: add the balsamic vinegar first, then the salt, pepper and garlic powder; then the dijon mustard, prosciutto and top it off with goat cheese crumbles.  The balsamic will soak into the endive and the spices on top of that mixed with the dijon are so good.  The prosciutto adds the perfect salty bite and the goat cheese gives these the best creamy finish.  All together, this combination is so savory and creamy, with just enough crunch from the endive to make it the perfect appetizer.  Enjoy!

seared endive with prosciutto dijon mustard balsamic vinegar goat cheese on wooden board

Seared endives with balsamic vinegar, stone ground dijon mustard, prosciutto and goat cheese

Adorable little endives seared until slightly crispy and topped with balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, creamy goat cheese and prosciutto. These are the perfect easy and delicious appetizers to serve at any party, holiday, or just for yourself to enjoy!
5 from 1 vote
Course Appetizer
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 6 Endives sliced in halves (will make 12 little appetizer bites if you cut them in half and 18 if you cut them into thirds)
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Crumbled goat cheese
  • Coarse ground dijon mustard
  • several slices of prosciutto or other cured meat
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Cut off the very end of each endive, making sure to cut only a very thin slice just to toss the end out. You don’t want to take off too much, because you will still want the leaves to stay attached to the base so they don’t separate, so the endive keeps its shape.
  • Cut each endive in half, or if it is a larger one, into thirds. Again, take care when cutting to keep the base intact as much as possible. A few leaves will fall off, but that is ok.
  • Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the endive halves, cut side down, onto the oil for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.
  • Place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil, then transfer to a plate or serving dish. To each endive add a pinch of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add a drop or two of balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, a slice of prosciutto, and a few crumbles of goat cheese to each endive, to your liking. Enjoy!

Notes

I did not include specific measurements for most of the topping ingredients in this recipe because it is so variable. After you have the endives seared you basically add these on to your liking: as much or little of these to each endive as you desire! You can also mix up the variety on these and switch the different toppings in any way you’d like. If you just want to add the spices + balsamic vinegar and enjoy it without the other ingredients, that is great too! I personally like them with all of the toppings, especially with extra dijon mustard and goat cheese!
Keyword balsamic vinegar, dijon, easy, endive, goat cheese, prosciutto, snack, stone ground mustard


2 thoughts on “Seared Endives with balsamic vinegar, stone ground dijon mustard, prosciutto and goat cheese”

  • 5 stars
    What a creative and simple recipe to make and show off. Its one of my favorites. I used prosciutto, dijon mustard, endive, mozzarella and topped with chopped parsley and sesame seeds. I am going to use your recipe for other endive stuffing ideas.

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