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Belgian Endive Salad with Blue Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts

Serves 6
A great starter to a grilled fish dinner, this salad can also be doubled and served as a light lunch. Either way, accompany it with thickly cut grilled bread drizzled with good olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt.

Ingredients
3½ oz. (100 g) blue cheese (try Papillon Noir or Papillon Rouge, Roquefort, Stilton, or Danish Blue)
¼ cup (60 mL) pine nuts
7 to 8 Belgian endives
1 recipe Basic Mayonnaise made with a whole egg (see below)
salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) minced fresh Italian parsley (optional)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Crumble the cheese.

Toast the pine nuts in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent burning. Remove the nuts from the oven when they are golden, and let them cool.

Wash the endive and pat dry. Slice lengthwise into ¼- to ½-inch (.6- to1.2-cm) spears. Toss the endive with enough mayonnaise to coat. Add salt and pepper if needed, but remember that the cheese is salty.

Divide the endive onto 6 plates and sprinkle with the cheese and pine nuts. Garnish with minced parsley if desired.

COOK'S TIP
The cheese will be easier to crumble when it is cold. After crumbling, bring it to room temperature before using (about half an hour). The endive leaves can be separated and served whole, or the whole endive can be cut into rings for a different presentation. If you serve the leaves whole, you will need only one endive per person. Any excess mayonnaise will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Basic Mayonnaise
Makes 1 generous cup (240mL)
1 tsp. (5 mL) Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
1 cup (240 mL) corn or canola oil
up to 1½ Tbsp. (22.5 mL) lemon juice
¼ heaping tsp. (1.2 mL) kosher salt
1/8 tsp. (.5 mL) freshly ground white pepper

Put the mustard in a bowl and whisk in the egg yolk. Dribble the oil very slowly into the egg, whisking continuously. If the whisking makes your arm tired, take a break. The mixture will not separate.

When all the oil is incorporated, start adding the lemon juice half a teaspoon (2.5 mL) at a time. Continue to whisk. Taste after each addition. Add salt and pepper and taste again.

If this method seems too daunting, put the mustard and egg yolk in a food processor and pulse to blend. With the processor on, slowly pour in the oil. When the mixture has emulsified, add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mayonnaise made in a food processor will be thicker than mayonnaise whisked by hand.

Cover and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

This recipe is from Linda Haynes, The ACE Bakery Cookbook.

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