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Nikki Cascone, the Princess at 24 Prince

YumSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:28:32 -0700

Last week, Top Chef contestant Nikki Cascone almost went home because of a bad batch of mushrooms. However I've been fully assured by several Sugar cohorts that it must have been a fluke because her food is fabulous. After a recent Coutorture cocktail event, my pals told me that the appetizers were delicious and the desserts — specifically the doughnuts with melted chocolate — were to die for. One of the apps that stood out to me was an endive boat filled with apple, pecorino cheese, and chives. With my recent endive fascination, I knew I had to get the recipe. Luckily, the folks at 24 Prince were kind enough to pass it along.

You can check out the recipe, along with other droolicious food photos and photos of Chef Nikki all glammed up; just

Killer App: Endive Boats

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:28:11 -0700

The other night I got home from work and was starving. Unfortunately we had late dinner plans that evening, so I couldn't chow down too heavily. We also had limited supplies in our cabinets; there was no bread, crackers, or fruit to snack on. Oddly there were several heads of fresh endives and I figured that was a good place to start.

Endive is great in that you can trim the bottoms off and use the leaves in lieu of crackers. Sometimes I just dollop a mixture of blue cheese and candied walnuts on the ends, and other times I use a tapenade or a hummus. This time I ended up ~~cleaning out my pantry~~ blending canned tuna, hummus — it was a nice replacement for mayonnaise — sundried tomato/olive tapenade, and chopped cherry tomatoes into a creamy mixture. I then placed a small spoonful on each end. It ended up being the perfect snack and I was able to save the rest of the mixture — which I put on top of a bed of leafy greens — for lunch the next day.

If you've never had endive, I suggest you give it a try. The outer leaves tend to be more bitter than the inner ones, which are creamy and mild. Just think of them as carb-free savory crackers, and top them with whatever you feel like! They're a great personal snack and make for an elegant appetizer. Most people are always thrilled by them, so give it a go and let us know what you make!

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Yummy Link: Endives With Blue Cheese, Grapes and Walnuts

YumSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:28:51 -0700

Endive petals are one of my favorite snacks to serve at a party. Usually I just slather a little honey/blue cheese mixture on, but this recipe for endive petals with blue cheese, grapes and walnuts really takes it to the next level. — Ladle and Whisk

Yummy Link: Tuna Endive Boats

YumSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:27:18 -0700

I was addicted to endives for a while. They're like crackers, made from vegetables instead. You better believe I'm going to give these Fancy Schmancy Tuna Endive Boats a try. - Jumbo Empanadas