Caramelized chicory with raw ham, Old Amsterdam and pieces of hazelnut

Ingredients

• 4 heads of chicory
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 ripe pear
• 8 (half) slices of thinly sliced raw ham
• 8 (half) slices of Old Amsterdam Original or Matured
• 2 tbsp roasted hazelnuts
• A few sprigs of fresh oregano and/or thyme
• Pepper and salt

Preparation

• Start by roasting the hazelnuts by preheating the oven to 175°C.
• Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 4 minutes. Then turn the hazelnuts and roast for another 4 minutes. Remove the hazelnuts from the oven, let cool and then roughly chop the hazelnuts.
• Then preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Halve the chicory lengthwise and cut out the hard core.
• Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the honey. Place the cut side of the chicory in the pan and let it caramelize gently over medium heat and fry until done. Then carefully turn the chicory over so that the stems remain intact and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Remove the chicory from the pan and place in the oven dish. Place a slice of pear on the chicory and fold a slice of raw ham and Old Amsterdam around it.
• Bake the chicory in the oven until the cheese has melted.
• Then garnish with coarsely chopped hazelnuts and fresh oregano and/or thyme.

Tip: You can easily prepare the chicory a few hours in advance. Ultimately, this only needs to be briefly put in the oven.