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Overhead view of endive boats topped with pear slices, blue cheese crumbles, walnuts and honey on a marble platter

Crisp Endive Boats with Blue Cheese and Pear

Belgian endive leaves filled with blue cheese, pear, walnuts and honey, ready in about 20 minutes with no real cooking.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French-inspired
Calories: 150
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 heads Belgian endive (about 400 g); leaves separated
  • 1 ripe pear (about 180 g); cored, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 100 g blue cheese crumbled, Gorgonzola or Roquefort
  • 40 g walnuts toasted and roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tbsp chopped chives
  • flaky salt and black pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Toast the walnuts in a dry 20 cm / 8-inch skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool, then roughly chop.
  2. Trim the base of each endive head and separate the leaves. Rinse and pat completely dry with a towel. Keep the sturdy, cup-shaped outer leaves for boats and save the small inner ones for a salad.
  3. Core the pear and slice it thinly. Toss the slices with the lemon juice in a small bowl right away to stop browning.
  4. Arrange the endive leaves cut side up on a serving platter.
  5. Tuck one or two pear slices into each leaf.
  6. Crumble the blue cheese evenly over the pear slices.
  7. Scatter the toasted walnuts over the top of each boat.
  8. Drizzle honey over the boats, then sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves, a crack of black pepper and a pinch of flaky salt if using.
  9. Serve right away while the endive is still crisp.

Notes

  • Use ripe but firm pear, overripe pears turn mushy fast.
  • Pat endive leaves fully dry so honey doesn't slide off.
  • Toast walnuts just until fragrant, they burn quickly after that.
  • Assemble no more than an hour before guests arrive.