Endives au jambon

If you’ve never had endives before, let this be your first experience and be prepared to fall head over heels.
This dish is very easy to prepare and you can serve it as a side dish or as a light entree with some crusty bread and a side salad.  I honestly can’t even express how delicious these baked endives are.  The flavour is beyond incredible with a harmony of light bitterness from the endives and creaminess from the bechamel.

Ingredients
for 4 people

4 large yellow Belgian endives, trimmed
4 medium thin sliced ham
150g grated gruyere
For the bechamel : - link
1 litre of cold milk
100g unsalted butter
100g plain flour
Grated nutmeg or any other condiments but I personally find nutmeg best for bechamel
Salt and white pepper 

Method :

1. In a large pan, bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Add the endives, cover, and cook until very tender, about 35/40 minutes. A knife should be able to pierce through with no resistance. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the endive to paper towels.
2. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the endives.
3. Wrap each endive with a slice of ham.
4. Arrange the endives in a shallow baking dish that holds them snugly;
5. Preheat the oven to 200C
6. To make the bechamel, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until golden. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture smells nutty, about 2 minutes.
7. Continue whisking and add the cold milk.
8. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking.
9. Continue whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes.
10. Add the nutmeg and pepper.
11. Pour the bechamel over the endives and spread to cover them evenly.
12. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.
13. Bake until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 15 minutes baking.
14. Serve hot.