• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Imagelicious.com

Delicious and easy recipes for busy people

  • Home
  • About
  • Portfolio
    • Food Photography Portfolio
    • Product portfolio
  • Ultimate One-Pan Oven Cookbook
  • Recipes
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Work with me

Easy endive appetizer with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries

Published: January 11, 2016 | Last updated: December 6, 2018 14 Comments

FacebookTweetPin
Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
Easy and quick endive appetizer with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries is a delicious and elegant appetizer for a weeknight dinner or a big party. It takes only minutes to make and can be prepared in advance | imagelicious.com #endive #appetizer #party

Easy and quick endive appetizer with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries is a delicious and elegant appetizer for a weeknight dinner or a big party. It takes only minutes to make and can be prepared in advance. Healthy and full of complex flavour.

Closeup photo of endive appetizer boats with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries

This post was first published on Imagelicious on January 11, 2016

I was never a fan of big hearty salads. The ones that have lettuce, chicken, beans, quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and nuts. Actually, now that I read these ingredients, that salad sounds pretty good.

Well, I ate those salads, but they were never my favourites. My heart always had affinity for a simple combination of mixed greens with salty and pungent blue cheese, crunchy and buttery pecans, and chewy and sweet cranberries. So simple, so light, so elegant.

This is my favourite salad, or, shall I say, it was my favourite salad. When I could actually eat salads.

As of middle of 2014 I can’t have greens, along with asparagus, bok choi, and a few other vegetables and grains. Food intolerance. After months of pills, doctors appointments, and tests, in the end I figured it out on my own – benign watery lettuce was the culprit.

I went to see my doctor with the discovery. He said I was getting older. My husband said I should find a new doctor.

Now, years later I was able to reintroduce some of those foods into my diet but at a very limited capacity. I only eat asparagus at home and I avoid all lettuces and high fibre greens when eating out.

And yet, I still love the combination of cheese, nuts, and fruit. I use it in savoury breads, such as Blue Cheese, Pecans and Date Bread, in appetizers, and just as a cheese platter.

Blue cheese is my favourite to eat with pecans and cranberries, but I use creamy goat cheese, crumbly old Parmeggiano Regiano, or even feta too. For nuts I strongly prefer pecans, but walnuts, almonds, or pine nuts would work well.

As for the sweetness, dried cranberries are easy, I always have them in my pantry, but in the fall I use juicy pears or crisp apples; in the summer I use jammy strawberries; and on occasion I use caramel dates. As long as there’s the perfect balance of salty cheese, nuts, and something sweet I’ll be happy.

Top down view of endive appetizer boats with blue cheese, cranberries, and pecans. The rest of the blue cheese mixture is in a bowl to the side

How to make endive appetizer with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries

I can’t have lettuce anymore, but I can have endive, so I make a bite-sized version of my favourite salad – endive appetizer with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries.

  • Chop nuts
  • Chop cranberries
  • Crumble blue cheese
  • Mix chopped nuts, chopped cranberries, and crumbled blue cheese
  • Fill endive boats with the mixture

It’s a great endive appetizer, it is easy to prepare and easy to eat without a plate, which makes it perfect for a party. It tastes delicious and looks impressive.

Prep tip to making endive appetizer

You can chop pecans and cranberries a few days in advance and store in airtight containers. You can also crumble the blue cheese in store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. This will save time on the day of the party as you would only need to assemble the endive appetizer boats.

You can read 12 Tips for Easy and Stress-free Entertaining for more ideas on how to make entertaining as easy and as stress-free as possible.

Endive appetizer boats

More easy appetizer recipes:

  • Pecan and Boursin stuffed Dates
  • Cheese and Nuts Pinwheels
  • Mushroom Crostini 3 Ways

More endive appetizers from my blogger friends:

  • Belgian apple and endive salad from Tricia of Rhubarbarians
  • Endive boats with scallops and pineapple salsa from Julie of Hostess at Heart

Variations for endive appetizer recipe

  • Blue cheese
    • I like using blue cheese because it pairs great with endive
    • You can use goat cheese
    • Try Boursin cheese
    • Salty crumbly feta is great also
    • You can even try shaved parmesan, although the texture will be different and not creamy
  • Pecans
    • I love pecans, they are buttery and crunchy
    • You can use walnuts instead
    • Also try pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts
  • Dried cranberries
    • I like the slight tartness of the cranberries
    • You can use raisins
    • You can use chopped dates
    • You can use any dried fruit actually

If you don’t believe that this endive appetizer with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries appetizer is really easy to make, then watch the video. 

Note: I shot the footage for the video three years ago but re-edited it now, so it’s a little bit different from my usual videos.

Easy and quick endive with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries is a delicious and elegant appetizer for a weeknight dinner or a big party. It takes only minutes to make and can be prepared in advance. Healthy and full of complex flavour | Imagelicious
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Endive with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries

Easy and quick endive with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries is a delicious and elegant appetizer for a weeknight dinner or a big party. It takes only minutes to make and can be prepared in advance. Healthy and full of complex flavour | Imagelicious
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword appetizer, blue cheese, endive
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 10 appetizers
Calories 31kcal
Author Julia

Ingredients

  • 1 Endive
  • 2 tablespoons pecans (~ 15 g)
  • 1 tablespoon dried cranberries (~ 7 g)
  • 2 tablespoons blue cheese (~ 25 g)

Instructions

  • Roughly chop the pecans.
  • Chop the dried cranberries to about the same size as pecans,
  • In a small bowl combine chopped pecans, cranberries, and blue cheese. Mix with a fork until well incorporated.
  • Separate the endive into individual leaves.
  • Place a spoonful of blue cheese mixture into each leaf and serve.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 31kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 985IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Tried this recipe?Leave me a comment with a star rating!
Mention or tag @Imagelicious
Nutrition Facts
Endive with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries
Amount Per Serving
Calories 31 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 29mg1%
Potassium 153mg4%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 985IU20%
Vitamin C 2.9mg4%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Easy and quick endive appetizer with blue cheese, pecans, and cranberries is a delicious and elegant appetizer for a weeknight dinner or a big party. It takes only minutes to make and can be prepared in advance | imagelicious.com #endive #appetizer #party
FacebookTweetPin

Filed Under: Appetizer, Cheese, Fruit, Recipe, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Video Tagged With: Nuts

« Gluten-free Banana and Ricotta Pancakes
Light and easy green beans with eggs »

Comments

  1. Cathy says

    December 31, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    I added a little truffle salt and finely crushed the pecans in with Boursin cranberry cheese. Really yummy

    Reply
  2. Maggie Cupper says

    March 17, 2019 at 5:21 am

    5 stars
    Really great article. Thanks for taking the time to explain things in such great detail in a way that is easy to understand.

    Reply
  3. Teresa says

    January 16, 2016 at 2:35 am

    I love the video! This dish would make a wonderful addition to a table full of appetizers. I can see them disappearing very quickly.

    Reply
    • Imagelicious says

      January 18, 2016 at 1:23 pm

      Thanks, Teresa. I am glad you liked the video 🙂 And yes, it’s a great appetizer – delicious and relatively healthy too.

      Reply
  4. Nicoletta says

    January 15, 2016 at 5:54 pm

    Beautiful video and photos for a simple, great recipe. I love endive, blue cheese, pecans and cranberries. Perfect!

    Reply
    • Imagelicious says

      January 15, 2016 at 7:18 pm

      Thank you, Nicoletta! I am glad you liked the video 🙂 And I hope you try this appetizer.

      Reply
  5. Lily @GastroSenses says

    January 15, 2016 at 5:18 pm

    These look good, Julia! I’ve never tried endive, can you believe this? So going to try your recipe!

    Reply
    • Imagelicious says

      January 15, 2016 at 7:17 pm

      Lily – I actually only discovered endive a few years ago. I don’t buy them too often, but I love them. They have a slightly bitter taste that some may not like. For example, my husband doesn’t actually like this appetizer, he eats the cheese part, but not the endive 🙂

      Reply
  6. Diana L. says

    January 15, 2016 at 4:53 pm

    What a lovely appetizer! Would be delicious for a Wine & Cheese Party. I’m saving this recipe.
    Love the video too.

    Reply
    • Imagelicious says

      January 15, 2016 at 7:16 pm

      Totally delicious for a wine and cheese party. Unique and easy to make in advance. Thanks for the video comment!

      Reply
  7. Tara says

    January 15, 2016 at 4:18 pm

    Your photo’s are awesome!!! I’m a sucker for anything with blue cheese and these are right up my alley. Great combo! Definitely going to try!

    Reply
    • Imagelicious says

      January 15, 2016 at 7:16 pm

      Thank you so much, Tara! I really appreciate it! I love anything blue cheese too.

      Reply
  8. Alanna @ One Tough Cookie says

    January 15, 2016 at 4:10 pm

    These look divine! I love that slight bitterness that endives have. And your videos continue to inspire me!

    Reply
    • Imagelicious says

      January 15, 2016 at 7:15 pm

      Alanna – thank you so much!I love the bitterness of the endives as well. Such refreshing taste. And thank you for the video comment 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About Imagelicious

The person who created Imagelicious
Hi, I'm Julia and I love cooking simple, easy, and healthy meals. My favourite meal of the day is breakfast so you'll see many pancakes. Cooking and baking shouldn't be complicated, let me show you how.

IMAGINE VIP ACCESS!

Sign up to receive emails with new recipes!

Order my Cookbook!

Cover of The Ultimate One-Pan Oven Cookbook by Julia Konovalova

IMAGINE VIP ACCESS!

Sign up to receive VIP emails with new imagelicious recipes!

Archives

Categories

Looking for Something?

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

A proud member of…

FBC logo
All content copyright © 2008-2022 Imagelicious. Privacy Policy.