Stuffed Endive

A cold cheese spread piped into endive leaves, from the era when the cocktail hour demanded something eaten standing up. It needs almost no adjustment, but two words in the ingredient list mislead modern readers.

• "Blanched endive" is not cookedHere it almost certainly means Belgian endive, also sold as witloof or chicory, which is blanched by forcing the roots in darkness rather than in boiling water. Separate the head into individual leaves, rinse, and keep them cold and dry.
• Cheese quantitiesThree ounces of cream cheese is a little under half a standard 8-ounce brick. The 1 1/2 ounces of Roquefort is roughly a third of a cup crumbled; any firm blue will stand in, though Roquefort is saltier than most and the added salt is optional.
• Bring the cheese to room temperatureCold cream cheese will not mash to a smooth paste and the cream will bead out. Let both cheeses sit out 30 minutes, then work them together with a fork or in a food processor before adding the cream.
• CreamTwo tablespoons of cream loosens the paste enough to pipe. Add it a little at a time; too much and the filling slumps out of the leaf as it sits.
• Filling the leavesA pastry bag with a star tip or a zip bag with the corner cut gives a cleaner result than a spoon. Fill only the wide base of each leaf, leaving the tip as a handle.
• The parsley dipPress the exposed filling into a shallow plate of minced flat-leaf parsley rather than sprinkling; it gives an even green edge. Do this just before chilling so the parsley stays bright.
• Yield and holdingThis much filling covers about 20 to 24 leaves, enough for six to eight as part of a spread. Chill 30 minutes to an hour on the serving tray, covered; beyond about three hours the leaves begin to weep and go limp.