in a braise of glory.

This is the as-yet-unnamed new rescue puppy at the Atlanta compound. Molly and Easy would approve I'm sure.

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I seem to be a bit behind the curve, as they say, with regard to Molly Stevens. God, I bet they still say that, don't they, those fuckers. Who knows what else they say these days. I'm glad I don't know.

So, yeah, I've been meaning to take a gander at All About Braising since I came across Klary's effusive praise for it somewhere, and then I saw this eGullet thread about it, and then recently MattBites posted about it, suggesting that he was the last sentient being on Earth to be cooking this shizz.

And so, I'm here to claim what is rightfully mine: I am the last geeky cooking person alive to discover All About Braising. Behold, you dirty rat-bastards! All kneel before the Littlest of Capons!

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Here is Ms. Stevens' Braised Endive With Prosciutto recipe, cooked by me for lunch today:

















Yes. The best endive I've ever had, no contest. Completely non-bitter, and you could drink the sauce (which I know should be a little darker, but I was hungry) by the shot glass. Some scrumpy mother stole the damn prosciut' off this plate before the camera could be located.

Bonus: more of Ms. Stevens' recipes are online here. The below is a work in progress, mostly the same text as the link above at the moment, but I'll be VDuck-izing it shortly.

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braised endive with prosciutto.

3 Belgian endive (witlof)
1 tbsp unsalted butter
3 thin slices of prosciutto, cut lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips with fat left on
1/4 cup chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp cream

Heat the oven to 175C.
Butter a baking dish.
Cut each endive lengthwise in half.

Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter just stops foaming, add endive, cut side down, and cook until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the endive and brown for a minute or two on the other side. Transfer the browned endive to the baking dish, arranging them cut side up.

Still over medium heat, add the strips of prosciutto to the skillet and turn to coat them with the remaining butter, or add 1 tbsp if you need to. Drape the prosciutto over the endive in the baking dish. Add the stock to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits, and pour the stock over the endive and prosciutto.

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Braise until the endive are collapsed, 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove the foil and baste the endive by spooning over any juices from the pan. If the pan is dry, add 2 tablespoons of water. Braise, uncovered, for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the pan juices have turned a caramel color and almost completely evaporated. Pour over the heavy cream and bake until the cream takes on a caramel color and thickens to a sauce-like consistency, another 5 minutes or so. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 2 or 3.