Baked Endives with Bacon and Mascarpone

• Recipe by Nancy Harmon Jenkins

Czerwinski tops his endives with a rich and creamy bacon sauce that nicely offsets the vegetable's bitterness. Use baby endives no more than 4 inches long.

Ingredients

1. 1/4 pound thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch matchsticks
2. 1 cup mascarpone (8 ounces)
3. 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
4. 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
5. Salt and freshly ground pepper
6. 12 baby Belgian endives (1 3/4 pounds), halved lengthwise
7. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8. 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 500°. Lightly oil a large glass or ceramic baking dish.
2. In a small saucepan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. In a small bowl, mix the bacon, mascarpone, parsley and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
3. Using a small melon baller or spoon, scoop a little of the core from each endive half, leaving a shallow bowl. Rub the endives lightly with the olive oil. Spread 2 teaspoons of the mascarpone mixture on the cut side of each endive half, smearing it between the leaves. Arrange the filled endives in the baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the endives are just tender.
4. Preheat the broiler. Broil the endives for about 1 minute, or until the bread crumbs are toasted. Serve hot.

Make Ahead

The endives can be baked ahead and broiled just before serving.