Curly Endive Salad

I spent a pleasant evening last night sitting on my front stoop, visiting with my neighbors, while giving out Halloween candy. I gave out about 450 little candy bars before 8 pm last night. No, I don't give them out two at a time, that's one each. We did have some repeat customers but I'm guessing we had about 400 kids overall.

Halloween is a big thing in my neighborhood. The streets are filled with groups of children, the little ones in costume, the older ones maybe in costume, or possibly telling you they are dressed as a school kid, or a student, or a middle-school student. There are kids who are completely excited by the whole thing, shouting trick or treat from half a block away and  leaving with shouts of thank you and happy Halloween. And there are some, mostly middle school-aged girls, who hold their trick-or-treat bags toward you without a word while looking off in the distance with an expression of boredom. There are middle-school aged boys with boxes of eggs, babies in strollers, and sometimes even adults trick-or-treating although usually they say they're trick-or-treating for some kid that's not there. There's a tremendous rising and falling noise level as the kids move up and down the streets, and by 8pm it's mostly all over except for occasional groups of older kids who tend to be doing things like making use of the eggs.

All of the Halloween activity last night meant I did no cooking. But the night before I made Julia Child's Leek and Potato Soup using this recipe and Curly Endive Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing and Goat Cheese adapted from The French Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Hermann Loomis.

The leek and potato soup is amazing -- it is not made with stock, and cream or butter is optional and I opted not to use either, but it still tasted so rich that it was hard to believe that it was only potatoes, leeks, and water. Something about the combination of these simple ingredients completely transforms them.

The salad was a good accompaniment and together they made a filling meal. The salad has a nice, vinegary dressing which makes a good counterpoint to the bacon, and the goat cheese croutons add intriguing flavor and make it a substantial salad.

The leftover soup was just as good the second night, and a nice warm bowl of soup is the perfect dinner after sitting outside on a lovely autumn evening enjoying Halloween.

Hope your Halloween was great too.

Curly Endive Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing and Goat Cheese

7 ounces curly endive or escarole, rinsed, patted dry, and torn into small bits (you should have about 8 cups loosely packed)

1 large shallot, peeled and cut into paper thin slices

1 clove garlic, peeled, green germ removed, and cut into tiny dice

8 to 12 slices baguette, or other fresh, crusty bread

2   3.5 oz packages of goat cheese (I ended up using much less than this and next time will probably buy only a single 3.5 oz package)

6 ounces slab bacon, rind removed, cut into 1" by 1/4" by 1/4" slices (I didn't have slab bacon and so used an equivalent amount of thick-cut bacon cut into 1" pieces)

3 tablespoons olive oil, if needed

2 tablespoons best-quality red wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

Sea salt (optional)

1. Preheat broiler

2. Put the endive, shallot, and garlic in a heat-proof bowl and toss to mix

3. Place the bacon in a heavy skillet and cook stirring frequently until it is golden

4. Meanwhile, toast the baguette slices under the broiler, toasting the second side lightly. Remove from the broiler, spread the lightly toasted side with about 1/4 inch of cheese, spreading the cheese to the edge of the baguettes. Return to the broiler until the cheese is bubbling and golden.

5. If the bacon has not rendered enough fat to dress the salad, add additional olive oil, up to three tablespoons. Add vinegar being careful because the vinegar will spatter and steam. Stir to get any browned bits off the bottom of the pan, then pour the hot bacon dressing over the salad and toss. Add pepper, then toss again. then taste a piece of endive for salt. If necessary add salt, toss again, then divide between four heated plates.

6. Cut each baguette slice into quarters, and place on top of salads. Serve!

Serves 4

Note: The original recipe called for cutting seven ounces of goat cheese into four disks and putting one disk on a slice of baguette. I prefer my bites of goat cheese to be smaller with a higher bread to cheese ratio, hence the larger number of baguettes with smaller amounts of cheese. The number of baguette slices will depend on how many of the goat cheese croutons you want. I used three per person. I also did not preheat the plates but it seems like a nice touch.

Comments

[Mizter S.]

I did not expect many kids for Halloween this year. When mine were tots we used to get better than a hundred, but the kid level has waned to almost nothing over the years. So my plan was to leave a big EMPTY bowl by the front door with a sign that read “Take One”. But Mary wouldn’t let me. My other option was to put yellow police tape around the door and spill a can of tomato soup on the stoop. Again, Mary said no. So in the end I just turned off the lights and put the sprinkler on the front lawn. Trick or Treat!

[angela]

Sob, sob, sob....I missed Halloween so much last night!

[Vanessa]

I can't believe you have that many kids on Halloween. I didn't have any. Not one. Got to eat all the candy myself.

[Rebecca]

What a wonderful fall dinner!

I wasn't expecting many trick or treaters since the rain was coming down in absolute sheets here but we gave out over $70 worth of candy, didn't count the pieces. At first we were putting 2 each in their bags but then we switched to one when they kept coming and coming! I did feel sorry for the parents walking their little ones around and gave a little prayer of thanks that at last I'm finished with that.

[vasilisa]

I'm new in my neighbourhood, and had absolutely no idea what to expect. Good thing I stock up on candy! I gave out about four big boxes.

I find that kids who are into it are easy to tell -- they have fun, they smile, joke, etc... And then there are those (older ones) that just look at you like you owe them something.

But all in all, this was the best Halloween, and I'm looking forward to next year.

PS: The salad looks gorgeous!

[blue plate]

Hmmm, many moons ago, I was one of those kids trick-or-treating--maybe not in your neighborhood, but somewhere in Maryland.

And I like to think I was a fairly nice child who said thank you after the candy was dropped in my pillow case. : )

[rachel]

Wow! We had about 10 and were pleased! When we lived in a row house it was different but out here, there aren't as many kids. Last year we did get the O'Malley children, they live close by, but I guess they are too busy this year!

[annulla]

Sounds like a great night. I love the idea of adults who are trick or treating on behalf of their imaginary/invisible children!

And I am definitely trying that soup. It sounds wonderful.

[sher]

We had around 300 kids for Halloween--and I gave away my last piece of candy with the last person who came to the door. Phew! Dodged a bullet there! Each year we get more and more kids.

That salad is incredible. I can't imagine anything better. All those contrasting flavors! Yum. And the soup sounds excellant.

[Grant]

Bacon and goat cheese. Holy Cow. Now that is my kind of salad.

[Anne]

I really miss trick-or-treaters living in this city. Your Halloween sounds almost Norman Rockwell-esque.

I trick-or-treated up until 9th grade. I just couldn't give it up. But I always wore a real costume.

I'm going to try this hot bacon dressing tonight. It sounds delish.

[the bee]

No butter or cream? The American Dairy Farmers might just come and egg your house. There, have some dairy. The salad looks very yummy and you obviously had more, and more interesting trick or treaters then we had in Bethesda.We had on treater that looked old enough to marry. Now Josh, next year a simple chalk outline drawing of a kid clutching a treat bag and some yellow tape would be good. No need to ask Miz S. she has already said it is ok. Now Julie, let's not make Paula Deen sad. The American Heart Association can always be wrong. Look at those silly signs on elevators that tell you to take the stairs.In the event of fire I need to get out quickly. How can I do that if I am on a staircase ?
( a little alarm company humor )
Cook some more and we will be here for you providing Tom Shales like humor.

[Michelle]

julie,
wow! 400 trick-or-treaters? that's amazing! i've only had 4 in my entire life!! I grew up on a farm so no one came out that far or down our very long driveway; and for whatever reason I seem to pick houses to live where there aren't any kids out on halloween! those 4 actually came this halloween; in two groups, and one of the groups contained 2 15-year olds! so I think I gave each group half my bowl of candy...i'm jealous of your 400!

I like the simplicity of your soup; i've had her potato soup, but the leeks would be a wonderful addition, and it sounds healthy to boot - a perfect balance to such a delicious sounding salad. mmmm...

[Julie]

Mizter S, we always expect kids for Halloween. We brace for it. And I'm worried about your curmudgeonly ways.

Angela, Halloween is something I would miss too. I really enjoy it.

Vanessa, for years in our old suburban neighborhood we never got kids. This is actually a lot more fun.

Rebecca, I'd say you had a pretty good showing for a rainy night. We had perfect, almost balmy weather.

Vasilisa, it's fun to move to a neighborhood and find that Halloween is a big deal there, isn't it?

blue plate, the pillow case! That's a classic. I actually saw a few pillow cases although far more plastic grocery bags.

Rachel, did the mayor's kids have a police escort? Not that that would be a bad thing.

Annulla, the soup I highly recommend. It's amazing to me how good it manages to be with so few ingredients.

sher, that was good it worked out. Some years we've watched the next group of kids in the distance, realized we didn't have enough for everyone, and closed down shop then and there, hastily blowing out the candle in the jack-o-lantern and scrambling to get inside.

Grant, it's not a virtuous salad. But it's very tasty.

Anne, think Norman Rockwell in the 'hood.

bets, there was cheese! That should count for something. Even if it was from goats.

Michelle, it's the 15-year-old trick-or-treaters who manage to get to the out-of-the-way places! And obviously if you get half a bowl of candy it's worth your while.

[lindy]

I love this sort of salad to bits. This looks like a particularly good one. Now that I live in an apartment on top of a hill, I get zero trick or treaters.I do miss them. I used to get zillions in my old neighborhood. every year I buy a bag of candy-just in case...
This year, I went and watched a parade of school kids, who came to visit the oldsters at my mother's assisted living residence. Great costumes, from the cute to the astonishingly fierce. Many Johnny Deppish pirates.

[Isabella]

Thanks for the resipy we nedded it for THANKSGIVING..Love,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isabella & MOM