Chicken Cordon Bleu
The elegant name (meaning “blue ribbon”) suggests a dish that might have been served to Charles d’Albret, leader of the French army, the night before his defeat by Henry V at Agincourt in 1415. Nor is it unreasonable to speculate that this was Marie Antoinette’s last meal. However, the truth: chicken cordon bleu is an American creation from the flower-child era, first appearing in the late 1960s. Far out.
It’s traditionally served with a white wine cream or a cheese sauce. Mr. Swann likes it simpler, however, moistened only with a little demi-glaze. He’s okay with your making that from a prepared mix.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinned chicken breasts, with the tenderloins removed
4 slices of thinly sliced black forest ham, a little smaller than the size of the chicken breasts when pounded flat
4 thin slices Emmenthal cheese, ditto the size
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
Butter as needed
Oil as needed
Salt
Pepper
1 cup chicken demi-glaze made from a prepared package like that sold by More Than Gourmet
Sprigs of fresh cilantro
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place chicken between sheets of wax paper and pound to ¼-inch thickness (Mr. Swann uses the side of a hammer or hatchet—one reserved exclusively for cooking, by the way).
3. Place a slice of ham on the chicken and then a slice of cheese over the ham. Roll up the chicken breast with the cheese and ham on the inside and secure with toothpicks. Get as tight a seal as you can—escaping cheese is a sign of careless preparation.
4. Mix the flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Coat the chicken breasts on all sides with the resulting mixture.
5. Heat about three tablespoons each of oil and butter in a skillet over medium high heat. If the pan isn’t large enough for all four breasts, work in batches. (Remember this for all of Mr. Swann’s recipes involving sautéing; the small batch rule is quite important in his culinary world, lest you end up steaming. Very bad.) Cook the breasts until browned on all sides.
6. Place the browned chicken in a buttered baking disk.
7. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the flesh of the chicken is no longer pink—but don’t overcook. The rule is 165 degrees F, tops, for the internal temperature.
8. While the dish is baking, prepare demi-glaze according to instructions.
9. Place on serving platter, remove toothpicks, especially if you have litigious guests, and drizzle on a bit of demi-glaze. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with whatever else you want. It’s your dinner party, after all.
