Chicken Cordon Black and Bleu

Mes amies. I am in a dilemma… What’s a girl to do? You see, Rico and Aristotle, who are the best of friends, are at each other’s throats… and dear me, it appears it is because of me!

Whatever the case, they are both very dear to me, and I cannot, alas, take sides. Therefore, enough is enough! I shall invite them BOTH over for a little soiree and make things right. I shall serve my famous Chicken Cordon Bleu which is guaranteed to melt all hostilities between foes!

‘Cordon Bleu’ is a French term, literally translated as ‘blue ribbon’. It originally referred to an award for culinary excellence given to women cooks but now applies to any superior cook (yes, men too) as well as to this dish. This yummy version of Chicken Cordon Bleu adds paprika and a creamy white wine sauce!

INGREDIENTS

* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 6 slices Swiss cheese
* 6 slices ham
* 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

As you know with me, preparation is key…

So the first thing you’ll want to do is mix the bread crumbs and paprika in a small bowl for later…

Secondly, blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl…

If they are too thick pound the chicken breasts to about half an inch…

Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks…

Coat the chicken pieces with the pre-made mix (bread crumbs and paprika)…

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides…

Add the wine and bouillon…

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear…

Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter…

Slowly whisk the blended cornstarch and cream into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken…

And voila! Delicious food!

Now, wish me luck that my Chicken Cordon Bleu can keep my friends from making each other black and blue!

Po Boys to Die for!

Bonjour mes amies and welcome to a new little experiment of mine. I call it… La Cuisine… instead of blogging every minute about my life, no matter how interesting, I thought my readers may enjoy a respite. So I will be posting weekly installments of La Cuisine! What is La Cuisine? It’s where I teach you how to make my favorite indulgences.

This week, it will be Roast Beef Po Boy! Not that I eat them that often, but my dear friend Rico who has promised to teach me Salsa dancing in return for making them for him whenever he wants, absolutely adores them!

The recipe I’m going to give you right now should be enough to fill about 10-12 baguettes… which means you’ll either feed 10 to 12 people or one Aristotle… Mon dieu! I don’t know where he fits it all in his sleek… muscular… I mean, fit body.

So without further ado: Po Boys to Die for!

First of all you’ll need (and I know this is long, but trust me it’s worth it!):

5-6 pounds beef chuck roast (grass fed preferred) or shoulder roast
¼ pound of salt pork, sliced into ¼ inch strips
3 cups of minced onions
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning blend
¼ cup of lard (bacon drippings or solid shortening such as Crisco can suffice)
6 diced carrots
6 sliced celery ribs
1 tablespoon minced parsley
2 to 3 springs of FRESH thyme
1 bottle of good red wine
2 beef marrow bones
2 quarts of beef stock

Now take your roast and cut a pattern of incisions across the top every couple of inches… each incision should be deep enough and long enough to fit a slice of salt pork. Combine half of the garlic and 1 cup of the finely minced onion, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Place an even amount into each slit you made in the roast. Then press the salt pork into these slits and tie it down so that the roast is as even as possible for even cooking.

You will need a pot that is deep enough and broad enough to hold the roast, but also allows room to spare for all the braising and liquid. First you will melt the lard over medium heat and then place the roast in and brown it all the way around, make sure the salt pork remains inside the roast! Add all the remaining seasonings and vegetables to the pot and cook them until the onions are limp. Then add the wine and enough HOT beef stock to nearly cover the beef. Next come the bones then cover the pot and let it simmer for 4 hours until the beef is nice and VERY tender.

Remove the beef from the pot onto another dish that will hold the dripping sauces. Raise the heat of the pot until the liquid is hard. This should be done with the pot uncovered for about 45 minutes. While boiling down the gravy, baste the roast so it doesn’t dry out!

By now the beef should be ready to fall apart (if cooked properly), but do your best to slice it as thinly as possible, putting these pieces into a separate serving dish. Strain the gravy and season it to taste with salt, freshly ground pepper and throw in some cayenne pepper if you’re brave!

Lastly, pour the gravy over the beef… the result should be a sloppy, beautiful, beefy mess!

I cannot emphasize this enough… you MUST… I repeat… MUST serve them on CRISP… CRUSTED… FRENCH bread. Then dress your Po Boys with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise and whatever else is to your liking. You can also mix a little horseradish in with the mayonnaise to give it an extra kick of flavor!