Chicorée à la Crème

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-quart pot for parboiling
• •Large colander and clean kitchen towel for pressing
• •2½ to 3-quart lidded oven-safe casserole
• •1½-quart saucepan for finishing
• •Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
• •Deep warmed serving bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Parboil the chicory

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Bring a large pot of water to a full boil while you separate and wash the chicory leaves, paying attention to the grit that hides near their bases. Lower the leaves into plenty of boiling water and parboil for ten minutes from the moment the water returns to the boil. Drain immediately, then cool the leaves completely in cold water so they stop cooking.

   Use plenty of water and don't crowd the pot. The first boiling draws out the chicory's coarsest bitterness; a cramped pot cools too far and leaves the greens harsh.
2. 2

   Press it truly dry

   Drain the cooled chicory in a colander and press firmly with your hands. Transfer it to the centre of a clean kitchen towel, gather the cloth around it, and twist until no more water falls. Chop the compressed leaves medium-fine, keeping a little texture. If the chicory leaves a wet pool on the board, wrap and press it again. This is the principle inside the method: the roux must bind consommé and chicory, not a hidden cup of blanching water.

3. 3

   Cook the roux blanc

   Melt the 28 grams of butter in a 2½ to 3-quart oven-safe casserole over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir continuously for three to four minutes, until the roux is smooth, ivory, and no longer smells raw. Keep it pale. If golden flecks appear, pull the casserole from the heat and continue stirring until the pan cools slightly.

4. 4

   Bind and moisten

   Add the chopped chicory to the roux blanc and work the two together with a wooden spoon for two minutes, turning until every strand wears a thin coating. Add the warm consommé in four additions, stirring each one through before adding the next. The mixture may look uneven after the first addition. Keep stirring and press any floury knots against the side of the casserole; they will smooth as the remaining consommé goes in. Season with the measured salt and the pinch of sugar, then bring everything to the barest simmer.

5. 5

   Braise under cover

   Cover the casserole tightly and braise in the oven for ninety minutes. Stir once halfway through, scraping the bottom gently and replacing the lid at once. The finished chicory should be completely tender, with the consommé and roux gathered into a soft sauce around it. If the edges are drying before the centre is tender, stir in one tablespoon of hot water and lower the oven to 300°F (150°C).

6. 6

   Finish with cream

   Transfer the chicory to a clean 1½-quart saucepan, leaving behind any dry film stuck to the braising casserole. This transfer isn't ceremony; it keeps the concentrated residue from muddying the cream. If the chicory looks loose, don't add the cream yet. Simmer it uncovered over medium-low heat until a spoon drawn across the bottom leaves a trail for a second. Ça se rattrape. Lower the heat, add the cream, and stir gently for three to five minutes, until the sauce is hot, cohesive, and pale ivory-green. Do not let it boil hard.

7. 7

   Monter au beurre

   Remove the saucepan from the heat and monter au beurre (finish with butter), stirring in the cold cubes one at a time until each disappears and the sauce takes on a quiet gloss. If the butter begins to slick across the surface, whisk in one teaspoon of cold cream or water, then continue more slowly. Taste before adding any further salt, since the consommé has concentrated during the braise. Spoon the chicorée into a warmed deep serving bowl and bring it straight to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose escarole or another broad-leaf chicory with crisp ribs and unwilted leaves. Belgian endive is a different shape and behaves differently under this long chopped braise; the source method wants a substantial leafy green.
• •Use prepared consommé with a clean, savory taste and modest salt. If yours is sold concentrated, prepare it according to its directions before measuring the 500 millilitres. An aggressively salty consommé only becomes saltier during the braise.
• •Press harder than feels polite. The chicory is going to be chopped, so there is no virtue in protecting its shape, and every spoonful of trapped water weakens the roux.
• •Butter and cream provide the structure of the finish as well as its flavor. Margarine and imitation cream won't bind the same way. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Serve the chicorée beside roast chicken, veal, or pork, where its gentle bitterness cuts through the browned meat and catches the juices. A dry Chenin Blanc or an Aligoté has enough freshness for both the green and the cream.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicory can be parboiled, cooled, pressed, and chopped up to one day ahead. Refrigerate it in a covered container, then let it lose its chill while the oven heats.
• •For dinner-party service, complete the covered consommé braise up to one day ahead. Cool promptly in a shallow container, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat it gently in the clean finishing saucepan, then add the cream and cold butter shortly before serving.
• •Finished chicorée keeps for three days in the refrigerator. Reheat over low heat with a spoonful of cream or water, stirring gently and never allowing the sauce to boil hard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)