Baker’s Dozen with Danny P. – Start Packing Your “Belgian Endive Bowl”

It’s that time of year again. The weather is starting to change, it’s chilly in the morning but by noon it feels like the seventh circle of hell. Fall is so close you can taste the pumpkin spice latte. And with that comes the family-friendly apple picking season. If you were lucky enough to live near an orchard, early fall as a child would be filled with weekend drives out to pick baskets upon baskets of apples which provided hours of fun.

Fast-forward 20 years, summer has ended, which really means nothing to you nowadays so you’ve decided to dig up the corpse of childhood. You drive 2 hours in traffic out if the city to find a quiet orchard that seemingly does not exist anymore. But you are determined to recreate that memory for you and your significant other. Off you go between the trees with that wooden ladder under your arm acting like Lord Lumberjack and that you know what you are doing.

You don’t have to travel to Europe to sample the best-ever “Belgian Endive Bowl”. Here it is…

Before you can reach your first apple, it dawns on you that you are in way over your head and it was actually your dad the whole time who controlled the situation and made it seem easy. You then go crashing to the ground and through the concerning groan you are involuntarily making, you hear your date chuckling quietly. It is at that moment you miss your condo and will kiss the Grocery Gateway delivery driver right on the lips come Monday morning.

If you do manage to make it home, you are now stuck with a bushel of apples and the ultimate test sets in, how many different ways can you cook with apples before you infinitely hate Johnny Appleseed? Luckily, you can add one more recipe to your arsenal with a quick whip around the market. The bitterness of the Belgian Endive and strong blue cheese plays well with the sweetness of the apple making a well-rounded snack that will definitely be a hit over the fall months.

Pack your bag and your bowl, it’s time for some fun with our Baker’s Dozen playlist!

INGREDIENTS:

Aioli:
– 1 Egg Yolk
– 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
– 2 Cloves Garlic
– 1 Lemon, Juiced
– 1/2 Cup CannaOil

Blue Cheese Dressing:
– ½ cup Aioli
– ¼ cup Sour Cream
– ¼ cup Blue Cheese
– 2 tbsp Black Pepper
– 2 tbsp fine chopped Chives

The Rest:
– 1 Red Apple Finely Diced
– ¼ cup Walnuts, chopped
– 4 stalks of Celery, finely diced
– 1 head of Belgian Endive
– Lemon Thyme
– Micro Greens

SUGGESTED STRAIN:

– Blue Cheese. Another match by name, the cool kid from the Indica school, let this strain relax you after a long day at the orchard. Get more information via Leafly.com here.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1: Place egg yolk, garlic, mustard, and lemon juice in a blender and blend into a smooth paste. Turn the blender to medium and add oils slowly. The trick here is to keep a slow, steady stream to keep the aioli from splitting. If you feel the aioli is splitting, add a splash of COLD water to keep it together. When the oil is all incorporated, season to taste and place in the fridge to cool down.

Step 2: In a small bowl, mix together aioli, sour cream, blue cheese, and pepper until smooth.

Step 3: Cut the stem off of the Belgian endive and carefully remove the outside 5 leaves. Finely slice the rest of the head widthwise.

Step 4: In a separate bowl mix apple, celery and sliced endive with dressing saving a spoonful or two for garnish.

Step 5: Place lettuce leaves on plate and spoon in the mixed salad until they are heaping.

Step 6: Garnish (artistically) with walnuts, lemon thyme, micro greens and leftover dressing

Who’s turn is it to battle the “Midnight Witch”? Seems that’s over to Ash…

Suggested Baker’s Dozen “Belgian Endive Bowl” Playlist:

01. Windhand – “Kingfisher”
02. Monolord – “Rust”
03. UFO – “Boogie”
04. Mercyful Fate – “Nightmare”
05. Frijid Pink – “House of the Rising Sun”
06. Ash – “Midnight Witch”
07. Free – “Wishing Well”Time”
08. Iggy Pop – “Tonight”
09. Dopelord – “Pass the Bong”
10. Jimi Hendrix – “Are you Experienced?”
11. Drug Cult – “Reptile Hypnosis”
12. Wo Fat – “Analog Man”
13. Willie Hutch – “Overture of Foxy Brown”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

– Danny P. is a Toronto, Canada-based chef with a love for music, food and baking (both kinds). He may be stuck in the ‘70s, but he is definitely not stuck in his ways. In this series Dan will bring you some of his favourite recipes for absolutely tasty bake-worthy goods. If you have any comments, suggestions or other inquiries, hit him up on Instagram at @bakersdozenrocks.

OTHER YUMMY RECIPES

– An Introduction: Butter and Oils and Why We Use Them (The Boring Stuff)
– Baker’s Dozen with Danny P. – The “Ritchie Blackmore” Spiced Walnut Brownie