Labour Day Grilled Corn-and-Peach Endive Bites with Cilantro-Lime Crema

Ingredient Spotlight

Belgian endive leaves

Belgian endive (also called witloof or just endive) is a small, tightly packed torpedo-shaped chicory with pale, slightly yellowing leaves; it was developed in Belgium/France. The leaves are crisp with a notable bitter, slightly nutty flavor and a clean, vegetal aroma that brightens raw preparations. You can find them in the produce section of well-stocked supermarkets, specialty grocers, or farmers' markets; look for firm, unblemished heads. Good substitutes are radicchio or frisée for a similar bitter crunch, or small butter lettuce/romaine if you want milder, less bitter leaves.

Ingredient Spotlight

Pepitas (pumpkin seeds), raw

Pepitas are hulled pumpkin seeds commonly used in Mexican and Latin American cooking; the term usually refers to the green, flat seeds from certain varieties of pumpkins. Raw pepitas have a mild, nutty, slightly sweet flavor and a tender chew that toasts up very quickly and becomes crunchy and more aromatic. You can buy them in bulk bins, the snack or baking aisle, health-food stores, or Latin markets. If you don’t have pepitas, substitute sunflower seeds, toasted pumpkin seeds (if you find hulled or unhulled ones), or roughly chopped toasted pistachios for a similar texture and nutty note.