I feel very fortunate to live in the United States and to have the life that I have but there are still things to this day that I miss a lot from home such as fresh croissant and fresh baguettes. I miss the ever-changing display of food, the large selections of fruits, and vegetables so when some of those produces finally arrive here in our grocery store, I am buying them as soon as they hit the shelves. They could be Meyer lemons, mangousteens, kumquats, persimmon, lychees, Belgium endives…

I love all those seasonal fruits and vegetables!!! In winter, one of my favorite vegetables was Belgium endives. I love to make salads or gratins with ham and bechamel with endives. Today I will offer you the recipe of the traditional salad of endives that is often found on French tables in winter and in Christmastime.

Ingredients for 6 people: 8 Belgium endives, mustard, olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and pepper, 1 cup of walnuts, 1/2 cup of blue cheese or gorgonzola crumbled.

Place the walnuts on a silpat and cook in oven for 8 minutes at 350 to roast them. Set them aside to let them cool.

In a large bowl, place 1 tbsp of old-fashioned mustard, 2 tbsp of vinegar, 3-4 olive oil, 1/8 tsp of salt, 1/12 of pepper and mix well. Rinse the endives and cut them in slices of 1/2 inches. Stir well to coat the endives with the dressing. Add the toasted walnuts and the crumbled cheese to the salad and mix well. C’est tout!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!