Caramelised Chicory in Gruyère Sauce and with Crunchy Ham / Gekaramelliseerde Witlof in Gruyèresaus en krokante ham

Again, a very nice idea, but some severe faults. The caramelised chicory was delicious, the chicory's bitter taste well balanced by the sugar. The ham's crunch and salty taste were a great addition, although the taste could have been somewhat stronger. We used Serrano instead of Parma Ham, perhaps this made a difference.

But the cheese sauce (Mornay sauce with Gruyère only) was absolutely not appropiate: it was much too thick and not refined enough at all to keep pace with the delicate other elements of the dish, and it tasted more of flour than of cheese. You could try to massively cut back the amount of Roux, add extra cheese (perhaps also Parmesan or another dry, aromatic cheese) for taste, and use the amount of milk to get the consistency you want. If this succeeds, I could even see a 5 star rating looming around the corner...

I awarded 3 stars for this first try.

Added 18 december: I used half of the flour and butter, and added an extra 25g of Old Gouda (all I had at hand), and the result was a lot better. Just take care that the consistency of the sauce is still right once you have all the other ingredients ready - you can add a little milk if too much liquid has evaporated. Also, I'm suspecting that I don't like the Gruyère that much in this dish, I might use 50g Old Gouda or any other cheese, and 25g Gruyère next time.

We used Prosciutto this time, another interesting choice, though it makes me wonder what Parma Ham might be like. Oh well, next time... I wonder what the ham could be substituted for for our vegetarian friends; it should be something salty and crunchy. Perhaps deep-fried seaweed? Deep-fried and salted slivers of potato chips?