There was a time when the only vegetable my husband would eat is corn. Guess what? He just ate steamed and bacon-wrapped Belgian endive baked in a creamy Gruyere sauce. And not just one. He ate two of those tender little bundles. Wow! He has really come a long way in the world of vegetables.

Last year when I was in New Orleans for the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference, I met Rich Collins, president of California Vegetable Specialties, world’s largest producer of California endive. He had a display showing the stages of growth of endive. They looked like creamy-colored tulip buds with hints of light yellow-green popping out from a chicory root.

A couple of weeks ago Rich sent me some endive with a recipe for Endive Jambon, a classic gratin of ham-wrapped steamed endive smothered with rich and creamy Gruyere sauce.

Fresh, raw endive makes a wonderful salad. The long, boat shaped leaves make a perfect base for dips and spreads. But, I must say, the thought of steaming endive did not sound very appealing to me.

I decided to give the recipe a try. I stood six heads of fresh endive in a deep pot with an inch of water. About 30 minutes later, they were fork tender and ready to get rolled up in a blanket of thinly sliced ham. While the endive was steaming, I made a basic white sauce. 

Once baked, the gratin is finished off under the broiler, turning the sprinkles of grated cheese on top into a crispy brown layer of crunch.

The recipe suggests serving the baked gratin with mashed potatoes. I chose to serve it with baked potatoes.

The dish was a very pleasant surprise. The flavor of the baked fork-tender endive tasted a bit like asparagus to me. The addition of grated Gruyere cheese gives the sauce the flavor of a delicious warm cheese fondue. And have you ever dunked cooked potato chunks into cheese fondue? Delicious, right? Try spooning this sauce over a baked potato. You may never want to eat a baked potato any other way. I may add a little white wine to the sauce next time for added depth of flavor.  The smokiness of the ham was exactly what the endive and the Gruyere sauce needed to make one big happy family of flavors.

I’d say give this recipe a try. Whether or not you will enjoy it may depend on how far you are beyond corn.

Now, are you wondering how to pronounce endive? It’s a French word and is pronounced ON-DEEV. You can learn more about Belgian endive when you listen to my recent phone conversation with Rich Collins. Just click here.

If you’re thinking that you’d prefer sticking to light and fresh raw endive, you can get my recipe for Tangy Cheese and Cranberry-Stuffed Endive that I write about in this week’s All About Food newspaper column with a simple click right here.

Endive Jambon

(Ham-Wrapped Endive in White Sauce)

• 6 California Endives
• 6 slices ham
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 ounces (1/4 pound) Gruyere cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place endives vertically in a deep saucepan with one inch of water in bottom. Cover pan and bring to a gently boil, cooking for 30 to 35 minutes or until endives are very tender. Remove endives from pan and drain.

2. Allow endive to cool slightly. Gently squeeze to remove any free moisture then wrap each endive in a slice of ham and place in a single layer in a buttered baking dish. (I used a 2.5-quart size.) Set aside.

3. Prepare a classic bechamel or white sauce. In a saucepan melt butter then whisk in flour to create a smooth roux, stirring constantly while cooking 3 to 4 minutes over low heat. Do not overcook. Slowly add all the milk, stirring constantly. Increase heat slightly and cook until smooth and thick. Remove from heat.

4. Season sauce with nutmeg and add 3/4 of the grated Gruyere cheese, whisking it into the warm sauce until melted.

5. Pour sauce evenly over the wrapped endives. Sprinkle remaining Gruyere cheese on top.

6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes @375 degrees until sauce bubbles. Then place on low broil until cheese on top is gloden brown.

Serve immediately.

 I love, love, love a croissant that is rich, crunchy, flaky, buttery, tender and filled with something delicious. Those that are mass-produced seldom combine all those qualities in one croissant.

Right now I have two favorite places to get croissants — the real deal. Neither is anywhere near where I live. Probably better for my waistline that way. Collegeville Artisan Bakery makes Almond Croissants that are huge, crunchy on the outside with soft, tender layers on the inside.  And then there is my new discovery: Trung Nam French Bakery in St. Paul, where the croissants are perfectly made. They are the real deal, and they may be the best in the world. Trung Nam French Bakery offers a variety of fillings in their croissants. When I was there a couple of weeks ago, I had an apricot-filled croissant, an almond croissant and a coconut croissant. Oh, I wish I lived closer to that little bakery.

To satisfy my craving for one of those croissants, I bought a box of frozen puff pastry from the grocery store and turned it into flaky swirls filled with chocolate, apricots, almond and coconut. All the fillings I love rolled into one.

I had some almond paste in my pantry that I’d been meaning to mix into a pound cake, but never got around to doing that. So, using my Microplane grater/zester, I grated part of the roll of almond paste into the filling. Sliced almonds could be used in place of the almond paste, but the almond paste really does give the swirls a wonderful sweet almond flavor.

The chocolate in the filling is really a hot fudge sauce. Just be sure it’s slightly warm when spreading it on the dough. If it has just come out of the refrigerator, it will be too thick to spread. You won’t need all the of the sauce for one batch of swirls. Just keep it handy to make some hot fudge sundaes.

The swirls don’t take long to make. They can be made in the morning for a decadent breakfast with coffee. They are delicious with a cup of tea in the middle of the afternoon. And for an evening dessert, try them with a scoop of premium vanilla ice cream drizzled with hot caramel sauce.

These swirls are not the real deal, but they will keep me satisfied until I get back to one of my favorite croissant bakeries.

 Anytime Flaky Chocolate-Filled Swirls

• 1 box (17.3-ounce) frozen puff pastry dough (2 sheets)
• 1 cup hot fudge sauce (recipe below)
• 2 ounces almond paste, grated
• 1 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut, chopped

Thaw the pastry sheets at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it’s easy to handle. Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Unfold the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Spread 1/2 cup hot fudge sauce on each sheet of dough, going almost to the very edges. Leave some dough at edges uncovered to make sealing the roll of pastry easier. Sprinkle 1/2 cup grated almond paste over fudge sauce on each sheet. Arrange chopped apricots evenly over almond paste on each sheet of dough. Sprinkle with coconut. Starting at the short side closest to you, roll up like a jelly roll. Use a little milk or cream along the seam and press dough together to seal the log. Cut each log into 10 pieces. Place the slices cut-side down on the baking sheets.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the swirls are golden. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 20 Swirls.

Hot Fudge Sauce

• 1 (1-ounce) square unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 (15-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Over low heat, in a heavy saucepan, melt all chocolate. Gradually stir in sweetened condensed milk. Add salt and vanilla. Cool and pour into a jar. Refrigerate. Makes 2 cups.

My grandma’s favorite gift was a box of chocolate covered cherries. I can still see her biting into the first one she picked from the box my uncle would bring her from Walgreen’s Drugstore in Chicago. The liquid insides would ooze out and drip down her chin. She’d smile and her eyes would sparkle with delight. I never did grow fond of the chocolate-cherry treats that would bring her such glee. Even as a child, they were just too sweet for my liking.

I’ve never really developed an appreciation for the combination of chocolate and cherries. Rich, creamy chocolate — yes. Sweet-tart juicy cherries — yes. But together in one bite? No.

Despite my dislike for the marriage of chocolate and cherries in anything edible, each February since I was old enough to read a recipe, I’ve been baking a chocolate and cherry treat to celebrate the month that claims Valentine’s Day and George Washington’s birthday. These two days make February a time to hail chocolate and observe National Cherry Month.

Chocolate-Cherry Brownies was one recipe I’d make each February. It became one of my Dad’s favorites. I’ve tossed many choco-cherry recipes over the years, but this has remained in my recipe box. When I make it around Valentine’s Day, I cut the pan of brownies into heart shapes using a cookie cutter. Something chocolate that’s shaped like a Valentine heart can taste good even if it does have bits of cherries in it.

And the fudge frosting may be the reason the recipe has stuck around for so long.

Chocolate-Cherry Brownies

* 1 (16-ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained
* 2/3 cup butter
* 1/2 cup semisweet morsels
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats, uncooked
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 large eggs, beaten
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 teaspoons reserved cherry juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9- x 13-inch baking pan. Line with parchment, allowing enough of the paper so it comes up out of the sides of the pan. Butter the bottom of the parchment paper.

If you plan to use some cherries for garnish, reserve a few and set aside. Chop remaining cherries and set aside.

Melt butter in a small heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate morsels. Stir mixture until chocolate is melted. Let cool slightly.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in oats.

Mix sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add melted chocolate mixture and stir to blend. Add flour mixture to bowl. Use electric mixer at low speed, beating until blended. Gently stir in chopped cherries. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. When completely cool, hold parchment paper and gently pull the brownies out of the pan. Place on work surface.

Pour fudge frosting over the brownies. Allow frosting to set at room temperature until firm.

When frosting is set, use cookie cutter to cut heart shapes from the frosted brownies. Garnish each heart with a cherry half, if desired. The brownies are good served with Sweet and Rummy Whipped Cream.

Fudge Frosting

* 6 tablespoons butter
* 6 tablespoons milk
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels

Combine butter, milk and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate morsels. Beat with spoon until creamy. Pour over brownies and allow to set.

Position half of a cherry on each little Valentine. Or….

Add a big puff of Sweet and Rummy Whipped Cream.

Sweet and Rummy Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dark rum

Beat all ingredients at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.

If you happened to make the Red Beans and Rice recipe that I had in last week’s newspaper column, you may have purchased some Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning and some andouille sausage. That’s what I did. And that’s why I still had 3 chubby andouille sausage links in my refrigerator and an 8-ounce container of the Tony’s (minus the 2 teaspoons I put in the red beans and rice) on my spice rack. And tucked way in the back of my refrigerator in a zip-top bag was about 3/4 pound of mini-penne that I had cooked to add to some soup and didn’t need the entire amount.

Enter my husband, who was hungry for a pasta dish. He pulled out a bunch of waiting-to-be-eaten this-and-thats from the refrigerator and I pulled out the Tony’s and thus was born Tony’s Pasta. I guess you could say it’s an offspring of Red Beans and Rice. And it’s a great way to start using up the Tony’s.

 Tony’s Penne

• 1/4 cup cup plus 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 to 1 pound uncooked penne
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Creole Seasoning (Tony Chachere’s), divided
• 1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, small diced
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, small diced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 can (14.5-ounce) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Run water into a large stockpot until it is 3/3 full. Bring to a boil over high heat and add 1/4 cup of the salt as it boils. Dump the penne in the salted water and return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook the pasta until nearly al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
While the pasta cooks, set a 14-inch saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, swirling the pan to evenly coat with the oil. Add the sausage, onions and bell peppers. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of Creole seasoning. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is lightly caramelized and the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth to the pan and scrape with a spoon to remove any browned bits that have formed in the bottom of the pan, about 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes, thyme, the remaining tablespoon of Creole Seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the pan and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the nearly al dente pasta to the pan. Continue to cook the sauce and pasta, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the basil and Parmesan. Toss to combine and serve while hot with French Bread.

You can put ice cream in an almond cookie cup. You can chop up some strawberries and caramelize some bananas to garnish the ice cream. But without the sauces, it is so unimpressive. Without good sauces, that is.

When I first tried to recreate the delicious dessert I had last Valentine’s Day at Bonnell’s Restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas I was satisfied with everything about it, except the chocolate sauce. Why I tried a new sauce when I love the Chocolate Mirror Sauce that I often make, I can’t tell you. I guess I am always in search of something better, playing around with recipes, thinking there just might be a chance that I could create something even more decadent. I learned my lesson this time. I went back to Chocolate Mirror Sauce. It is a beautiful glossy glaze when spooned over cake. You can see it drizzled over Chocolate Chocolate Cake in my post just before this one. I always save some of the sauce to drizzle over vanilla or mint chip ice cream. It keeps well in a jar in the refrigerator. Just be sure to warm it in a small heavy saucpan over very low heat. Stir often and don’t let it get too hot or come to a boil. With this sauce in the refrigerator and some premium ice cream in the freezer, dessert is just moments away.

My favorite caramel sauce is prepared in a most unconventional way, I think. But it works. And that’s all that matters to me. Well, and the fact it is the most delicious caramel sauce I’ve ever had. You may have already tried making caramel sauce with great success. I’m always a bit intimidated by the whole process. Cooking water and sugar until caramel-colored — some say stir it, some say don’t stir it. Some say brush the sides of the pan down to capture the sugar crystals stuck there. Some say don’t even think of doing that. No wonder I’m intimidated.

In 1972 my mom bought me a cookbook, Taste/the best of Taste, a compilation of recipes featured in the Taste section of the Minneapolis Star. That’s where my Hot Caramel Sauce came from. I made it, it worked, it was delicious, it’s my favorite.

So, if you’re in the mood for decadence on Valentine’s Day or any day, serve Almond Cookie Cups filled with premium vanilla ice cream, the strawberries and caramelized bananas and these sauces. You won’t regret it. The recipe for the Almond Cookie Cups is in my newspaper column this week. You can get the recipe by clicking here.

And the recipes for both sauces — just below. Enjoy!

 Chocolate Mirror Sauce/Glaze

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1-1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Combine sugar, cocoa, whipping cream, butter and honey in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat until mixture is smooth, stirring often. Do not boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla (yes, 1-1/2 tablespoons is the right amount). Makes about 2-1/4 cups.

Hot Caramel Sauce

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Combine butter and sugar in a heavy 2-1/2 to 3-quart saucepot. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture is a rich caramel color. The consistency of the mixture will go from thick and light-colored to a thinner saucey consistency and caramel-colored. It may take 5 to 8 minutes. Once it turns caramel colored, immediately remove the pot from the heat. The darker the color, the richer the caramel flavor will be. But be careful. The butter-sugar mixture can go from just-right to burned in a second. I admit, this sometimes takes a little practice. But I find, even if the butter-sugar mixture suddenly begins to smoke, once I’ve added the cream, allowed the sauce to cool and then refrigerate it overnight, the taste is still delicious.

Anyway, once you’ve removed the pot from the heat, wait 20 to 30 seconds, then blend in the whipping cream. Be very careful when adding cream. The mixture will get a violent bubbling. Once blended, you can serve the hot sauce over ice cream. It will be thin, but thickens as it cools. Or, allow the sauce to cool completely, put it in a jar and refrigerate it overnight or up to several days. Heat the sauce slowly over low heat in a heavy pot. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Almond Cookie Cups

• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup blanched almonds, ground
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut 18 (6-inch) squares of parchment paper. Place 2 parchment squares on an ungreased baking sheet. Set the other parchment squares aside.

Combine sugar and butter in medium mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed of an electric mixer until will blended. Add almonds and flour and mix at low speed. Add milk and beat just until it disappears. Dough will be sticky.

Place 1 tablespoon of dough on the center of each parchment square on the baking sheet. Dip a spoon into cold water. Use the back of the spoon to flatten dough into a 3-inch round. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Cookies will spread during baking. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute.

Use parchment paper to lift each cookie and drape it over the bottom of inverted muffin tins. Remove parchment paper. Let cookies cool completely. Carefully remove from tin. Repeat process with remaining dough and parchment squares. Makes 18 cookie cups.

Ingredients for 2 servings of Almond Cookie Cups with Strawberries and Caramelized Bananas:

1 banana, peeled, cut in half across the middle, then each half cut lengthwise

1 cup chopped strawberries

2 Almond Cookie Cups

2 large scoops premium vanilla ice cream

Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Chocolate Sauce

Caramel Sauce

Place cut banana pieces on oven-proof dish, flat side up. Sprinkle the flat sides with sugar. Place under the broiler until golden brown or caramelize with a kitchen-sized blow torch.

Place Almond Cookie Cups on dessert plate or shallow bowl. I like to anchor the cookie cups with a little dab of caramel sauce on the plate. Dress it up with bananas, strawberries, chocolate sauce and caramel sauce.

Tips from the cook

• Blanched almonds can be purchased in the grocery store or you can blanch the nuts yourself. To remove the skins from the almonds, or blanch them, bring a pot of water to a boil, turn off the heat and drop the almonds into the hot water. After 30 seconds, drain the almonds in a colander or strainer and rinse them with cool water. Pinch the nuts out of their skins. The slippery nuts will slide right out. Set the blanched almonds on a plate to dry.
• The baked cookie cups are quite delicate and will break easily. You can freeze them, but be sure you pack them in a way that will protect them from breaking.