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Endive is a leafy vegetable with a slightly bitter signature flavor that is often served in salads or on sandwiches. 


How to Use Endives: 3 Tips for Preparing Endives

 So Belgium endive. This is a radicchio, the red endive, and you have that beautiful yellow endive. It's an amazing, bittersweet garnish for the duck. Trim off the stalks, but I want to keep it whole, okay? Once you've trimmed the stalks, just lightly peel off the edges. Want to keep them nice and intact. I always see this endive, majority of the time, inside a salad. For me, it's a waste. They're bitter. They're sort of crunchy, but they don't really taste of anything. They look better than they taste. Cooking these things, roasting them, the flavor is extraordinary. Set the endive and slice it in half. Open it up. The beauty behind these, beautiful. Look. It's robust. Now here's the exciting thing about these. They're bitter, okay? So you need to be super careful how you cook these. And for me, again, nonstick pan on. I'm gonna season them with salt and a touch of sugar. Now the salt and the sugar extracts the bitterness, but I'm not gonna use granulated sugar. I'm gonna use powdered sugar. And we just lightly dust over those radicchio. What happens now is that I start to sort of marinate the endive. And what happens? It starts to, we say, bleed. And bleed basically means where it literally starts to almost pull out that bitterness. Just put a little spoon in there. Again, turn them over, 'cause what happens now? The salt and the sugar start to react. And it's a really nice way to get rid of that bitterness. So when we caramelize these in the pan, the flavor is incredible. Now I'm doing it with red endive. You can do it with a beautiful yellow endive, but red for me. It's a bit richer. It's a little bit zingy, but they hold together as well. Now from there, generous. So we've got the salt and the sugar, okay? And here's where the endive turn up to a different level. Drizzle a little aged balsamic vinegar over. Now what does that do? That then starts to bring this nice, sweet, soury flavor into the endive. Once you've had this in a salad, you think it tastes good. Once you've had these beautifully sauteed with a duck, I'm telling you, it's mind-blowing. It's so beautiful, the crunch, the flavor. And look, gonna finish that with a touch of my orange-zested salt.

Endives are a [leafy vegetable from the chicory family](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-are-chicories-learn-how-to-cook-with-chicories-and-simple-chicory-salad-recipe). Endive refers broadly to the edible leaves of the chicory root. Belgian endive, frisée (curly endive), and escarole (broad-leaved endive) are the three main types of endive. 

Chicories are known for their bitter flavor, and endives are no different: The bitterness comes from a flavonoid called kaempferol, which is also found in some brassicas like kale and broccoli, as well as apples and grapes. Raw endives are typically astringent with a dry mouthfeel, but cooked endives have a mellow, almost nutty flavor profile. 


1. __Curly endive, or frisée__: Heads of curly endive are thick and bushy with lacy, frazzled stems. When added to salads, the stiff green leaves lend an airy, crunchy texture, and its inherent bitterness can complement and balance richer components, like salty, fatty lardons and poached egg, or ripe slices of peach or persimmon. 
2. __Belgian endive__: The Belgian endive is a member of *Cichorium intybus*, the “common chicories,” a subspecies that also includes puntarelle and radicchio. As one of the more recognizable endives at the grocery store, they’re found in shades of pale green, yellow, or magenta—which are also known as red endives.
3. __Escarole__: Escarole is a broad, leafy green with a slightly less bitter taste than frisée or Belgian endives. The outer leaves of escarole are tougher, with a more pronounced bitterness that’s a great addition to soups and stews, while its inner leaves are milder—good for adding into mixed green salads or sandwiches.
1. __Endive salads__: As a salad green, the strength of the endive lies in its crisp structure and palate-cleansing bitterness. Frisée is perhaps the most common, thanks to the French bistro classic *salade Lyonnaise* which features thick lardons and [a poached egg](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gordon-ramsays-poached-egg-recipe) in a simple mustard vinaigrette. Slice Belgian endives thin and horizontally for more delicate ribbons in a mesclun mix.
2. __Appetizers__: Belgian endive leaves hold their funnel-like shape when separated, making them ideal finger food, canapes, or substitutes for chips when served with dip. Tuck a slice of creamy cheese like Brie on the wide end of cleaned outer leaves, topped with ½ teaspoon of compote, marmalade, or jam.
3. __Sautéed, roasted, baked, or braised__: Belgian endives can be braised whole or halved and served as a side dish; baked into a gratin, where they break down and take on a melt-in-the-mouth texture; or [caramelized as a counterpoint to crispy duck confit with a tangy cherry glaze](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-gordon-ramsays-five-spice-crispy-duck-recipe-with-black-cherry-glaze). Escarole wilts quickly and cooks down well in a sautée with slivers of garlic.


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Endive is a leafy vegetable with a slightly bitter signature flavor that is often served in salads or on sandwiches. 


Endives are a <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-are-chicories-learn-how-to-cook-with-chicories-and-simple-chicory-salad-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-are-chicories-learn-how-to-cook-with-chicories-and-simple-chicory-salad-recipe","linkCopy":"leafy vegetable from the chicory family","category":null}'>leafy vegetable from the chicory family</a>. Endive refers broadly to the edible leaves of the chicory root. Belgian endive, frisée (curly endive), and escarole (broad-leaved endive) are the three main types of endive.

What Is Endive?

Chicories are known for their bitter flavor, and endives are no different: The bitterness comes from a flavonoid called kaempferol, which is also found in some brassicas like kale and broccoli, as well as apples and grapes. Raw endives are typically astringent with a dry mouthfeel, but cooked endives have a mellow, almost nutty flavor profile.

What Does Endive Taste Like?

<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Curly endive, or frisée: Heads of curly endive are thick and bushy with lacy, frazzled stems. When added to salads, the stiff green leaves lend an airy, crunchy texture, and its inherent bitterness can complement and balance richer components, like salty, fatty lardons and poached egg, or ripe slices of peach or persimmon. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Belgian endive: The Belgian endive is a member of Cichorium intybus, the “common chicories,” a subspecies that also includes puntarelle and radicchio. As one of the more recognizable endives at the grocery store, they’re found in shades of pale green, yellow, or magenta—which are also known as red endives. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Escarole: Escarole is a broad, leafy green with a slightly less bitter taste than frisée or Belgian endives. The outer leaves of escarole are tougher, with a more pronounced bitterness that’s a great addition to soups and stews, while its inner leaves are milder—good for adding into mixed green salads or sandwiches. </li></ol>

3 Types of Endive

Watch Chef Gordon Ramsay Prepare Red Endives

<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Endive salads: As a salad green, the strength of the endive lies in its crisp structure and palate-cleansing bitterness. Frisée is perhaps the most common, thanks to the French bistro classic salade Lyonnaise which features thick lardons and <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gordon-ramsays-poached-egg-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gordon-ramsays-poached-egg-recipe","linkCopy":"a poached egg","category":null}'>a poached egg</a> in a simple mustard vinaigrette. Slice Belgian endives thin and horizontally for more delicate ribbons in a mesclun mix. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Appetizers: Belgian endive leaves hold their funnel-like shape when separated, making them ideal finger food, canapes, or substitutes for chips when served with dip. Tuck a slice of creamy cheese like Brie on the wide end of cleaned outer leaves, topped with ½ teaspoon of compote, marmalade, or jam. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Sautéed, roasted, baked, or braised: Belgian endives can be braised whole or halved and served as a side dish; baked into a gratin, where they break down and take on a melt-in-the-mouth texture; or <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-gordon-ramsays-five-spice-crispy-duck-recipe-with-black-cherry-glaze' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-gordon-ramsays-five-spice-crispy-duck-recipe-with-black-cherry-glaze","linkCopy":"caramelized as a counterpoint to crispy duck confit with a tangy cherry glaze","category":null}'>caramelized as a counterpoint to crispy duck confit with a tangy cherry glaze</a>. Escarole wilts quickly and cooks down well in a sautée with slivers of garlic. </li></ol>

3 Ways to Prepare Endives

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Endive is a leafy vegetable with a slightly bitter signature flavor that is often served in salads or on sandwiches.