how2heroes » Endive Spears w/ Blue Cheese & Spiced Nuts

Quick & Easy » Endive Spears w/ Blue Cheese & Spiced Nuts

Barbara Heiberg uses vitamin-rich Belgian endive as the serving vehicle for an easy appetizer. With a pastry bag and festive star tip, creamy blue cheese is piped onto the leaves and then topped with Barbara's chopped Spiced Nuts recipe of pecans that have been toasted with garlic, black pepper, cayenne, sugar and sea salt. A drizzle of honey just before serving adds a finishing sweet touch.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups blue cheese, crumbled
1-2 tbsp light cream or milk
dash of Worcestershire Sauce
2 large heads Belgian endive
¼ cup chopped Spiced Nuts*
honey for drizzling

For Toasting

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups pecans (walnuts or peanuts also work well)

To Finish

sea salt to taste
1 tbsp sugar

Special Equipment

food processor
pastry bag & star tip

How-to

Make Spiced Nuts (watch Barbara's "Spiced Nuts" video)

In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat
Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute
Add cayenne pepper, black pepper, sugar, sea salt and mix until ingredients are blended
Add pecans and mix until pecans are well coated and start to brown just a bit, stirring constantly. This should take about 2-3 minutes
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly in the saucepan for 3-4 minutes
Spread mixture out onto a cutting board while somewhat warm. Sprinkle with sea salt and sugar and mix together with hands. Transfer to a bowl and serve

Notes

Spiced Nuts can be stored for 2-3 days in an covered container
For a sweeter version, substitute cinnamon for garlic and cayenne pepper

Prepare Endive Spears w/ Blue Cheese

Put blue cheese, 1 tbsp of light cream and Worcestershire in a food processor and mix until smooth. Add more light cream if necessary to get a consistency smooth enough to use in a piping bag
Cut off the base of the endives and separate leaves. You will need to cut a little more from the base as you remove leaves. Use larger leaves to fill. Save the smaller leaves for a salad
Place leaves in a decorative pattern on a serving tray
Fit a pastry bag with a star tip and fill with cheese and cream mixture and pipe a small amount of cheese onto the thick end of the endive leaves
Sprinkle each leaf with a small amount of chopped Spiced Nuts on top of cheese and drizzle with honey just prior to serving
To enjoy, fold the cheese-free end of the endive leaf over onto the cheese for 2-3 bites of both a crunchy and creamy treat!