Whenever I'm in need of a light bite to add to my appetizer table, I immediately think of endive. Their scoop-like leaves make a perfect boat to float a variety of fillings plus super easy to pick up and eat.
A couple of weeks ago just such a heavy appetizer menu gave way for the endive to make an appearance and bring some freshness to the party. Since I wasn't originally thinking of serving endive boats, I wasn't sure what the filling would be this time. A quick glance around the kitchen revealed a few fresh, clean items raising their hands saying "Pick Me! Pick Me!"
The "Pick Me" ingredients ready to do their part
Ingredients
1/2 Pink Grapefruit (originally slated for the citrus martini)
1/2 large Avocado (just because JC wanted some in the house after our Chile trip)
1/3 c shaved Fennel (because I was serving it in another dish)
1 Scallion (because I always have some in the house)
1/3 c Pomegranate seeds (Left over from another event)
2 Endive, leaves separated (I cut the end to get a clean edge)
1-2 tbsp minced red onion
1 tsp grapefruit juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
salt
Instructions:
I segmented the grapefruit. Cut the avocado into small chunks. Shaved the fennel, chopped the scallions, minced the onion, added the pomegranate seeds, then added a touch of grapefruit juice, a squeeze of lemon juice, 2 pinches of salt and an ever so slight drizzle of olive oil. Lightly tossed and filled the endive leaves. As an added touch, I chopped and sprinkled the fennel frounds on top.
And there you have it, a fresh medley of flavors to float this boat.
P.S. for a tad more plate decor, when I was segmenting the grapefruit I sliced the ends off leaving a bit of pulp to use as a center plate adornment. I also saved the middle of the endive, whose leaves are too small to fill but make for a nice little torch-like finishing touch.
How it appeared on the party table
I have several other ways to fill endive leaves. Look for the future post entitled "Endless Endive".
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