Sous Vide Belgian Endive

[TdeV]

I'm interested in various ways one could prepare endive sous vide. One question is, do you sear the endive before or after sous-vide-ing, or not at all? I note that Molly Stevens sautées the endive before braising (All About Braising). Do you sous vide the whole endive, halve, or quarter it? What goes in the sous vide bag? Do you ice when done? How do you prepare the endive for the table? How do you spice it?

 

On eGullet, @mm84321 has dinner photos and directions which are 203°F/95°C for 1 hour (with butter), cooled, then browned in butter.

 

At sousvidecooking, the endive portion was 185°F/85°C for 30 minutes (with a splash of oil) here, cooled, then browned in butter.

 

@gfweb posted a whole topic about Sous Vide Red Cabbage (with butter) with some thoughts on different spice treatments.

 

 Tomorrow we're having a pork and duck Cassoulet and I wanted a vegetable that was a bit tart, as an equalizer for all that duck fat. 😀

@gfweb, do you think this sous vide treatment (red cabbage) would be too much fat as the veg for a cassoulet?

 

 

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, TdeV said:

I'm interested in various ways one could prepare endive sous vide. One question is, do you sear the endive before or after sous-vide-ing, or not at all? I note that Molly Stevens sautées the endive before braising (All About Braising). Do you sous vide the whole endive, halve, or quarter it? What goes in the sous vide bag? Do you ice when done? How do you prepare the endive for the table? How do you spice it?

 

On eGullet, @mm84321 has dinner photos and directions which are 203°F/95°C for 1 hour (with butter), cooled, then browned in butter.

 

At sousvidecooking, the endive portion was 185°F/85°C for 30 minutes (with a splash of oil) here, cooled, then browned in butter.

 

@gfweb posted a whole topic about Sous Vide Red Cabbage (with butter) with some thoughts on different spice treatments.

 

 Tomorrow we're having a pork and duck Cassoulet and I wanted a vegetable that was a bit tart, as an equalizer for all that duck fat. 😀

@gfweb, do you think this sous vide treatment (red cabbage) would be too much fat as the veg for a cassoulet?

 

 

 

I think a bit of vinegar with the SV cabbage would cut the richness of the butter. Or you could maybe just make braised red cabbage by standard methods.  I do it in apple juice with a touch of allspice and a dash of vinegar which has paired nicely with duck confit.

 

[Anna N]

2 hours ago, TdeV said:

Tomorrow we're having a pork and duck Cassoulet and I wanted a vegetable that was a bit tart, as an equalizer for all that duck fat. 😀

Have you given any thought to a simple salad with a vinaigrette dressing to accompany such a heavy main dish?

[TdeV]

@gfweb, thanks. Were you to sous vide endive, would you decrease the time (v.s. cabbage)?

[gfweb]

3 minutes ago, TdeV said:

@gfweb, thanks. Were you to sous vide endive, would you decrease the time (v.s. cabbage)?

 

I don't think so. Having said that, I realize that 5 hours seems long when not trying to break down collagen but the shorter SV weren't as nice re red cabbage.

 

Thinking about endive's bitterness, I wonder about adding sweetness or citrus to the bag.  Worth some experimentation next time I have an few endives

[btbyrd]

I do this almost every time I prepare endive (which to be fair, is about three times per year). But I half it and pop it in a bag with some oil and salt at 85C and let it go for like 40-45 minutes. Then unbag while hot and let the surface moisture flash off. Then sear the cut half in copious butter and olive oil and garnish with flakey salt and chives.

 

Endive is relatively tender compared to cabbage, at least in my experience, so you don't need extended cook times to soften it. You can if you really want it to go all sogged-out braisey, but then you're making a different dish than I'm making. If you're not keen on bitterness, you can blend in some sugar with the salt when you season pre-bagging. A splash of vinegar can be nice too.

 

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by btbyrd
flakey salt. (log)