Express Asparagus starter

Here's a very simple yet gorgeous starter. It could not be easier.

You need for 2 people:
- fresh Asparagus tips
- 1 heaped tblspoon dijon mustard
- 1 spoon liquid honey
- 2 or 3 tblspoons of vegetable oil (I like to use grapeseed oil)
- 2 tblspoons of white wine vinegar
- salt and pepper

Steam the asparagus tips for 15 minutes

For the sauce: in a small bowl, mix well the mustard and honey, add the salt and pepper, then add the oil beating with a fork to form an emulsion, add the vinegar and beat with the fork to 'fix' what is an eggless mayonnaise in a permanent emulsion..

Serve on plate and pour the sauce over it.
Another quick starter: walnut endive salad for 2 people.
You need:
- 1 big endive
- 1 spoon honey vinegar (balsamic will do)
- 2 tblsp grapeseed oil
- a palmfull of fresh walnut
- salt and cracked black pepper

Wash the endive, cut in slices, pour the rest of the ingredients on top, mix well and it's ready.

I find that these starters add a fresh and green touch to the winter dishes that come as a main. They are no hassle to make and are very quick too when you have guests.

Hope you like it, bon apetit!

Ham-rolled endive gratin

I used to hate this dish when I was little, probably because my mum likes it bitter. But with time, I grew to love it!
Unfortunately it is quite hard to find endives in Britain... So when |I can't find endives (also called chicons), I use leeks.

Take two endives per person, remove the hard core to get rid of the bitterness, cook them for 10 min in the steamer.Roll each endive in a slice of ham. Place in an oven dish.
Cover with white sauce (with salt and pepper), then sprinkle with grated cheese (gruyere's my fav but use what you can).
Place in the oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes, and it's ready!!

How to make the white sauce:
Place 25g butter and the equivalent in volume of flour. heat up and mix well, cook it for a bit. Then add gradually the milk, still stirring. when all the milk (that is the quantity of white sauce you require) is added, if the sauce is still too liquid, bring to light bol stirring, and then take it off the fire, it's done! Add salt and pepper at the end.

Source: my mum!