Endives with ham… you either love them or you don’t! Personally, I’m a fan! Especially because for adults, you can make a slightly braised, caramelized version… Yum!
Endives with ham, sometimes called “chicons” in Belgium, are a delicious specialty from Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Belgium, and the Netherlands. It’s a wonderfully comforting dish where Belgian endives are carefully wrapped in slices of ham to create a flavorful gratin.
But here, we’re going to adapt the recipe a little so it can be served to the littlest eaters 🙂
So I decided to introduce endives to my baby, and what better way than with the classic ham and endive recipe? A purée version, with the ham blended on the side and a little Gruyère or swiss cheese: perfect! (My daughter loved it!)
Endive is rich in fiber and vitamins. Here, we’ll prepare it with a potato to soften its slightly bitter taste, even though there’s another little trick for that too—we’ll get to it later…
We’ll also mellow it out with a little crème fraîche, and to finish, the cheese: a touch of grated Gruyère!
Ready? Let’s get started!
Here’s what you’ll need to make this ham, endive, and Gruyère purée recipe for baby (from 6 months; I got about 12.7 oz / 360 g with these quantities, or 2 small 6.3 oz / 180 g jars):
Ingredients
Preparation
We’ll start with the potato. Wash it, peel it, and cut it into very thin slices.
Place the slices at the bottom of the steamer basket. Now let’s move on to the endives. Rinse them under cold running water for several seconds, then cut them in half lengthwise.
Next, we’ll remove the part that gives endive most of its bitterness. To do this, cut out the white, hard core at the base of the endive.
You can now cut the endives into pieces.
Cooking
Place the pieces in the steamer basket on top of the potato slices, and cooking can begin. With the Cookeo, I pressure cooked them for 15 minutes. For regular steaming, allow about 16 minutes. Let’s go!
Place the ham, cooked vegetables, Gruyère, and crème fraîche in the blender, then blend into a smooth purée. You can also blend the vegetables and crème fraîche separately from the ham and Gruyère; depending on your baby’s age, they may be able to eat them separately.
Our little jar recipe for baby-friendly ham, endive, and Gruyère purée is ready!
Storing ham and endive purée for baby
This homemade ham and endive purée can be saved for your baby’s future meals. Here is the best way to store it:
- Refrigerator: You can store the portions in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. Make sure to place them in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
- Freezer: For longer storage, ham and endive purée freezes very well. Divide it into individual portions and place them in airtight freezer bags. Don’t forget to label each portion with the freezing date. You can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months!
- Thawing: When you want to use a frozen portion, place it in the refrigerator the night before for gentle thawing. Then reheat it in the microwave or in a saucepan using a water bath until the dish is hot, stirring regularly.
Always make sure to check the temperature of the ham and endive purée before serving it to your baby to avoid any risk of burns.
Enjoy, little gourmet!
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