Another endive recipe today! I love finding different uses for this plentiful, versatile winter vegetable.

The last party I threw during the holidays was a cocktail soirée for about fifty guests. Since I was doing all of the cooking on my own, I needed finger food that was delicious and looked beautiful, but required minimum effort. Several of the dishes served, such as Tuscan Chicken Liver Spread and little Puff Pastry Swirls, were made a few days ahead.




But there are always those dishes that must be done at the last minute. This recipe for Smoked Salmon in Endive Leaves takes about five minutes to mix up, another five to prepare the endive leaves and another few minutes to spoon the smoked salmon into the endive leaves. The little "spoons" look lovely when arranged on a platter and are easy for your guests to pick up and enjoy.

Smoked Salmon in Endive Leaves
about 24 servings

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces smoked salmon, chopped
24 Belgian endive leaves

Combine everything but the endive leaves in a bowl
Carefully remove whole endive leaves from the core - you want pieces that are strong enough to support a bit of the salmon mixture
Spoon about 1 tablespoon salmon mixture onto the thick end of each endive leaf
Arrange on a platter and serve
optional: sprinkle with more minced fresh parsley

When you've got simple recipes like this, throwing a festive holiday soirée is easy!