Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes.
Serve with: Mashed potatoes, steamed string beans.
4 Boneless Breast of Chicken 4 1oz. slices of top quality ham,
or proscuitto 4 1oz. slices of cheese, either Swiss, Grugere,
Emmenthaler, or Jarlsburg 3 eggs 3oz. water 1½ cups flour 2 cups
bread crumbs salt & pepper to taste 16oz Canola Oil
Mornay Sauce 12oz. milk 1 bay leaf 1 clove ½ medium size onion 3
Tblsp. flour 3 Tblsp. butter 4 oz. swiss cheese grated salt,
pepper, nutmeg to taste
Chicken
1. Place chicken breast on clean cutting board and place your
palm on top of the breast. Using a sharp knife, position the
heal of the knife parallel to the board. Without cutting all the
through, at the middle of the thickness of the chicken, gently
insert the knife in one simple and careful motion, pull the
knife through the chicken, but do not cut it completely in half.
The chicken breast will open up like a book. This is called a
butterfly cut. Repeat with remaining breasts. (You can also ask
your butcher to butterfly the breasts for you when you purchase
them.)
2. Slightly pound out the chicken breasts with a meat mallet.
Season lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Pair one slice of ham with one slice of cheese and tri-fold
so the ham encompasses the cheese. Place each one on half of the
chicken breast and fold over encasing the ham and cheese in the
chicken.
4. Lightly season both sides of chicken with salt & pepper. Put
them all in the freezer for about 45 minutes.
Tips
a) By partially freezing the chicken, it will make it easier to
handle while breading. This is optional.
b) When sandwiching the ham & cheese in the chicken, be sure to
completely encase the ham & cheese with the chicken. This is
also a good time to trim the chicken breast of any odd pieces of
fat or chicken for a uniform appearance.
5. In three separate containers set up your breading station. 1)
flour, 2) eggs & water, 3) bread crumbs
Place the breast in the flour and coat. Make sure to knock off
excess flour. Then place in egg wash and coat allowing excess to
drip off. Then make a well in the bread crumbs and put chicken
in the well and cover with bread crumbs. Press down firmly with
the palm of your hand pressing bread crumbs onto chicken. Remove
and knock off excess crumbs. Repeat for all breasts.
Tips
a) Try to keep one hand for wet and one for dry while breading.
This makes an easier clean up. Remember the chicken is wet.
b) Disposable gloves are also useful.
c) At this point you can store in a ziploc, in the freezer for
future use remaining flour and bread crumbs for up to 3 months.
6. In a skillet, preferably cast iron, heat canola oil on
medium-high for a couple of minutes and cook two at a time,
browning both sides. If the oil is smoking, it is too hot. Place
on a cookie sheet and finish in a 350° oven for 17 minutes. Make
mornay sauce while it is the oven.
7. Place Cordon Bleu on a bed of mornay sauce and garnish with a
sprig of parsley.
Mornay Sauce
1. Add butter to a 2 qt. sauce pot and melt on medium heat.
2. Add flour and milk with a wire whip constantly for 5-10
minutes or until mixture is a light blonde color and smells
nutty.
FYI - this is known as a blonde or pale roux. Most rouxs are 50%
butter, fat or oil and 50% flour. They need to be cooked to at
least this stage in order to maintain their thickening ability.
3. Scald (boil) your milk in another pan, or in the microwave.
Take the milk and add couple ounces at a time to hot roux
incorporating each time with a whip until all the milk is added.
4. Add onion, bay leaf and cloves and bring to a boil. Reduce to
a light simmer and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally fo 10
minutes.
5. Remove onion, bay leaf and cloves with a skimmer.
6. Add cheese and allow to melt.
7. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt, pepper and
nutmeg. Strain and serve.
Notes:
It is always necessary to scald milk prior to adding to
something hot. This keeps the milk from separating or curdling.
Nutmeg is a spice that is used to finish the flavor of many
sauces, creamed dishes and potatos along with seafood to lamb
and even desserts. The best advice I can give you with this
spice and any other multi ingredient recipe is that if it is
used properly it will be well balanced and almost
unidentifiable, but without, would not be as good.
Wine Selection: 1998 Acacia Chardonnay has a nice balance of
apple and pear, creamy with hints of mild oak.
Makes 4 servings. Find more recipes on
http://www.cigar-review.com
About the author:
Phillip V. Denfeld has been an executive chef for nearly 30
years at various 5-star hotels and restaurants across the
nation. He is currently a culinary instructor living the in the
South Florida area and writes exclusive recipes for
http://www.cigar-review.com
