Flemish Chicory

Ingredients

• 6 chicory
• Salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 0.5 l milk
• 2 tbsp Sour cream
• 200 g freshly grated Gouda
• 12 slices cooked ham
• pepper (ground)
• nutmeg

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean the chicory, halve it and cut off the bitter stem in a conical shape. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the chicory for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, shock in cold water and drain.

2. 2.

   In a small saucepan melt the butter, sprinkle the flour over it and sauté. Deglaze with milk and whisk well to avoid lumps. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes until thickened. Set aside and fold the sour cream with half of the grated cheese.

3. 3.

   Wrap half of each chicory half with ham and preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) fan‑forced. Butter a shallow baking dish, pour in the cheese béchamel, place the chicory halves, sprinkle with remaining cheese, bake for about 15 minutes until golden. Remove and garnish.