Sugarloaf chicory

Pain de sucre

What it is

Pain de sucre is a chicory that blanches itself: the outer leaves wrap so tightly that light never reaches the heart, so the inside stays pale and only faintly bitter with no pot or cover needed. It stands in the field through frost, which is when the bitterness drops and the sugars climb.

In the kitchen

Halve it, oil the cut face and grill it hard for 3 minutes a side: the leaves are packed tight enough to stay crisp inside a charred face. Discard nothing, since the dark outer leaves are the bitter ones and they belong in the pan, not the salad.

Goes with

Olive oil Anchovy Walnut Blue cheese Orange Garlic Honey

Same species

Barbe de capucin Castelfranco chicory Belgian endive Escarole Frisée Puntarelle

In season alongside

Nanohana (rapeseed blossom) Radicchio Apple Sweetfish (ayu) Baek-kimchi Bell pepper

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