Endives Gratin with Ham a French Bistro Classic
Let’s Eat the World · Lunchtime Meals · Provencal Recipes · TasteLooking for a great dish for cold-weather activities? Easy to make ahead and serve when you are ready, Endives au Gratin is a Belgian dish typically from Northern France and Belgian. The dish consist of endives wrapped in ham slices served in butter and a bechamel sauce. After outdoor activities, this dish satisfies a hungry crowd.

Endives au Gratin
Au gratin dishes are traditional fare from northern France and the Haute Savoie. This recipe is easy to make and served with a green salad is perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
Ingredients
- 6 endives
- 1/2 lemon
- béchamel sauce See recipe*
- 6 slices cooked ham The slices should not be too thin
- 7 oz Emmental cheese
- salt
- butter for baking dish
Instructions
- Make the bechamel sauce following the recipe in the notes below.
- Clean the endives, remove the first leaf and cut a little bit towards the core.
- Boil water with salt and lemon juice, add the endives and cook them until tender. You can check if tender with the tip of the knife.
- Remove endives from boiling water and cool them in cold water.
- When cold, squeeze them to remove all the water but keep their shape. Wrap each endive with a slice of ham and depose in your buttered baking dish, keep them close to each other.
- Pour the hot bechamel sauce on top, add the shredded cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 180ºC (350ºF) or until you have a nice golden brown colour.
Notes
You can serve this dish hot with a delicious green salad.Recipe for the bechamel sauce.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Other Winter Dishes:
Classic Cassoulet
This recipe is a perfect Sunday afternoon culinary project. Enjoy the warm, rich flavours on a cool-weather day with some red wine from France.
Check out this recipe

Boeuf Bourguignon
Boeuf Bourguignon or Beef Burgundy, a traditionally slow simmered, red wine braised beef stew with salt pork (lardons), onions and mushrooms served over egg noodles, rice or potatoes.
Check out this recipe
Croque Monsieur and Madame
Croque Monsieur is a classic bistro cafè style french sandwich (think sophisticated ham and cheese) best served on Pain de Mie or any Brioche-like bread with ham, Gruyère cheese and Béchamel sauce and traditionally baked in the oven. Add a poached or sunny side up egg, and it becomes the Croque Madame.
Check out this recipe
Legal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous Post
Mas Des Infermieres Ridley Scott’s Domaine in ProvenceRelated Provence Articles
Sunday Lunch in Avignon at Italie là-bas!
May 19, 2016
Contributor blog post by Michel: Avignon offers a great many dining choices for all tastes and budgets, in different settings from private gardens, below churches in 17th century dining rooms, in hidden courtyards to name a few. But like many towns in the South of France, there are not many options for Sunday dining, a …
Tomato Tart Plain and Simple
February 28, 2020
Savoury tarts are something that French cooks do just as well as those tempting sweet creations. This Tomato Tart made with homemade confit tomatoes is a breath of summer any time of the year. Of course, we all dream of those summer days when you can pick tomatoes in your garden, but even in the …
Blanquette de Veau a Classic French Recipe
April 21, 2025
Blanquette de veau is a traditional French main course that an aspiring French cook should have in their repertoire. The good news is that it’s easy to prepare and deeply satisfying on a cold day. Walking along the arcade of the Palais Royal in Paris, we found ourselves hungry for a bite. Although there were …
Lunch in the Countryside Near Aix
March 24, 2016
Here’s a recommendation for lunch, which will take you right off the beaten track and far away from tourist groups. Don’t read on if you are looking for fine dining and sophistication. Chez-le-Garde won’t offer you that. But for me, it was a truly Provencal experience a great lunch place suggestion. Roaming the Countryside Near …
No Comment