Belgian cast member shares recipes

A passion to meet new people, travel and of course taste all the foods of the world has been with me for as long as I can remember.

So when I heard about Up with People way back in college, I truly considered joining them and traveling, but alas I cannot carry a tune and after attending their concert I did not believe I could be a part of such a musical group. I have later learned that is not true, but we will come back to that later.

Upon learning that the group was coming to Yuma, I immediately called and signed up to host a student. And when they called and asked if I could host an intern for three weeks, I jumped at the chance. This is the third time that we have hosted and each time just gets better and better.

So on April 20, Michael Roudebush came to live with us.

Michael is from Brussels, Belgium, and he fits into our family perfectly. I gave him one day, then I started asking about the food of Belgium. He talked about the frites (french fries) and the wonderful Belgian chocolate that I’m sure we have all tasted.

Always thinking of the Yuma Foodie column, I asked him to ask his mom to send me a recipe or two to share with Yuma.

Kate Roudebush sent me the recipe for Chicons au Gratin (endive) and a lesson in endive began. After visiting each grocery store in Yuma, I soon learned that Belgium endive is not a common staple in Yuma. I put out requests that if anyone was out of town that they might pick it up for me.

My cousin in Las Vegas shipped me some, and Food City ordered some. If you plan on making this, be sure and pick it up when you are out of town of give Food City a holler.

Belgium endive, or chicory, is a staple food for the people of Belgium. It has a very unique style of cultivation. It was discovered by a Belgian farmer in 1830 when he returned from war and found that the chicory stored in the barn had sprouted white leaves. He tasted the leaves and found it to have a tangy flavor.

It took another 30 years before endive, also known as witloof, became a successful crop. As a matter of fact, the people of Paris found it so wonderful that they called it white gold. I find it similar to Napa cabbage, but with a distinctive taste.

Michael said his mom would also chop it up and put a sweet dressing on it for a salad. I can also see the leaves filled with a tablespoon of chicken salad as an appetizer.

The whole Up With People cast of 90 young people from 20 different countries arrived Monday night and will be doing community service work around Yuma this week. Their two-hour concert, “A Song for the World,” is an event that should not be missed. The concert will be  held at Gila Ridge High School auditorium Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Hastings or the Quartermaster Depot.

The cast will be holding interviews to join Up with People right after the concert. You don’t have to be musical, as there are lots of other places in the crew to make the whole production work. So if you are between the ages of 18 and 26 and meeting people in other regions of the world sounds like something you would enjoy, plan to talk with the crew after the concert.

The recipes that follow are tasty and worth making. Just remember that you need to find the endive before you put it on your menu.

Chicons au Gratin
by Kate Roudebush
Serves 4 (2 or 3 endives per person)

Ingredients:
12 endives (8 if they’re fairly large)
12 slices of ham
2 tablespoons rondelé spreadable cheese
Grated swiss cheese
Bread crumbs

For the white gravy:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
Salt, pepper

To make white gravy: Melt butter in small saucepan, slowly add flour while stirring (whisk) until all flour is added, then slowly add milk (continuing to stir) until all milk thickened. Add salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Slice endives in half lengthwise then put into boiling water for 4 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool enough to handle. Make the white sauce while the endives cool (use the same burner!).

Spread rondelé cheese on the ham (like buttering toast, only spreading it on the open slices of ham). Lay 2 lengths of endives onto the ham and roll. Spray a Pyrex dish with cooking spray and line the rolled ham all through the dish. Pour the white gravy over the ham and endive. Sprinkle swiss cheese all over it and then sprinkle the bread crumbs over that.

Cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until just beginning to brown.

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Kate also sent me one of her family’s favorite desserts and being the small world that it is, it is also one that my family loves. Kate’s recipe uses store-purchased meringue. I will post my recipe for making your own meringue on my website: www.ChefKarla.com.

Fruit Meringue Dessert

Ingredients:
Whipped cream
Meringues
Frozen red/black berries, raspberries, etc.

Tips:  

• Don’t add sugar. It’s sweet enough with the meringue

• Break the meringue into bite-size pieces

• Add berries, meringues and whipped cream to bowl. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving…

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Karla Billdt works as a personal chef
and owns Karla's Kreations.