Endive Boats with Caramelized Walnuts, Blue Cheese, and Asian Pear

There are times when adding a salad to the menu of finger foods is a great offering when having a party. But salads are messy – partygoers need a plate and a fork and two hands, making it difficult to hold a drink, all while mingling with the other guests. Not easy for a cocktail party. So why not make a salad that can be easily picked up – like any other hors d’oeuvres? Endive leaves make a perfect vessel in which to nestle ingredients for any type of salad.

One of my personal favorite endive boat salads consists of caramelized walnuts, crumbled blue cheese, and slivers of crispy Asian pear, drizzled with a honey-mustard, white wine vinaigrette. I love the salty and sweet combination of the blue cheese, caramelized nuts, and pear. But endive leaves can hold other chopped items as well; tomato, cucumber, Kalamata olives, and feta for a miniature Greek salad; grilled chicken, hard-boiled egg, avocado, bacon, and blue cheese for a Cobb salad; roasted chick peas; or even Laotian larb (ground meat salad) topped with pickled red onions. Whatever combination of food chosen, endive leaves make a perfect container in which to fill other salad ingredients.

Endive Boats with Caramelized Walnuts, Blue Cheese, and Asian Pear

This salad is simple and easy to put together, but with big flavors. Make the caramelized walnuts nuts yourself – it only takes a few minutes – and if you don’t have walnuts, other varieties of nuts will work as well. There are many ways to caramelize nuts, but I like the recipe from Carlsbad Cravings for its simplicity. Alternatively, you can purchase caramelized or honey roasted nuts, and I once dined at a restaurant that served peanut brittle on a salad. I use Asian pear because I like its crispy sweetness, but if they are hard to find, any other ripe pear will be great as well.

Makes about 2 dozen endive boats, about a half hour

1 cup walnuts

1 Tbsp. butter

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

4 Tbsp. good olive oil

¼ tsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. honey

½ cup blue cheese

2 – 3 heads endive

1 Asian pear

1. Make the caramelized walnuts:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 ^o Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan once about half way through. Allow to cool. This will crisp up the nuts.
• Put the walnuts, butter, and sugar in a non-stick skillet. Heat on medium and stir constantly with a rubber spatula until sugar melts and coats the nuts, about 5 minutes. Remove the nuts from the skillet to a piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Separate the nuts from each other immediately with two forks so they don’t stick together. Allow to cool. Nuts can be made several days ahead and stored in an airtight container. Try not to eat too many before you are ready to use them for the endive boats, or alternatively, make a double batch and munch away.

2. Make the salad dressing by whisking together white wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and honey in a bowl until well combined. Taste and adjust flavors if it needs to be sweeter or more tart.
3. Crumble the blue cheese into a bowl.
4. Separate the endive leaves from the heads. This will involve cutting them at the base to separate the outer leaves from the cluster. As you work your way in, you will need to cut the base again. Wash and dry the endive leaves and arrange on a plate.
5. Cut the Asian pear into ½-inch thick slivers about 1 inch long. This is best done just before serving, as the pear will turn brown if it sits cut too long.
6. Put one caramelized nut, a crumble of blue cheese, and a sliver of pear on each endive leaf.
7. Just before serving, whisk the salad dressing one final time and drizzle a bit over each endive boat.

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