Foolproof Chicken Cordon Bleu from Cook's Country, April/May 2010

I had fully intended to make the Foolproof Chicken Cordon Bleu after church today, but as the poem by Robert Burns says, "The best laid plans of mice and men go often askew." In this instance, askew was our daughter asking if we could go to a restaurant for lunch and then the word pizza being mentioned. Even though I love to cook, the opportunity to get out of the kitchen and be able to eat without having to clean up afterward is never turned down. So, to a pizza place we went.

That left the chicken dish for dinner and since my husband has been glued to the television all afternoon watching Freddy Couples bogey and double bogey (I could hear the cries of anguish from the den), I invited our daughter to help me make the Cordon Bleu. For those who want to get their children involved in the kitchen, this is a wonderful meal with which to begin. She was able to help count out the crackers and pull apart the bread, then add both to the food processor and pulse it to the correct consistency. She rolled the cheese in the meat and helped stuff the chicken too. She was also able to help whisk up the eggs and mustard mixture. It was a fun bonding time for the two of us. The added bonus was that when it came time to eat, she didn't ask me how I made it because she already knew. She gave her daddy a lesson instead.

The only issue I had was with cutting a deep pocket in the chicken breast in order to stuff the rolled up ham therein. Cook's Country must have Schwartze-chickens because I was unable to cut a single one without coming through a bottom or side. Luckily it didn't really show and there was only one area with cheese seepage while cooking. Not only couldn't I make a good pocket, there was no way I was going to stuff two of the ham and cheese rolls in my chicken. I was lucky to get one crammed in there semi-decently. With a child in the room the bad words I was thinking just roamed around in my head.

The cooking time and procedure are right on, including moving the baking sheet around in the oven and changing the temperature mid-way through. I'm glad I did that because the crust was perfect. During the short period of time where the dish comes out of the oven and sits tented with foil for 5 minutes (I'm assuming to let the cheese firm up so there's not as much ooze when cut open), my daughter, who is well aware of the rule of no toys in the kitchen, decided to play soccer and kicked the ball my way. In an effort not to trip over it, I stumbled and put my hand out to catch myself, right onto the edge of the pan. I think I'll not let any fortune tellers read my palm until after the burn heals. I'm also glad that parents are immediately given the ability to internalize certain words instead of them spewing out in circumstances such as this.

Because my husband had taken full advantage of the pizza buffet said that he wasn't going to eat so I just stood at the counter to have a piece in order to see if it tasted as good as it looked. I took a forkful out to him and the next thing I knew, he was in the kitchen for a plate of his own and took it to the den to eat while watching the Masters (Freddy had recovered a bit by then). Our daughter also thought this was excellent and went back and forth between us grabbing bites.

I'm already thinking that this will be the next meal I make for my in-laws when they come over and I want to impress them. It's beautiful and so very, very good.