Cook with Us #23 - Chicken Cordon Bleu Pastry Bites with Creamy Dijon Sauce

Hello, my fellow Steemians! Another @cookwithus contest has come around. I've been looking forward to this one for a couple weeks. It's a 3-week long contest this time around and I hope to make it to the end. I am competing to win a great prize, a handcrafted knife from @docsmith. The first week of the contest is hors-d'oeuvre, canapé or bite-sized appetizer, I'm going to be making chicken cordon bleu bites. These bites are a great addition to any party you bring them to. They are delicious. A great combination of swiss, pork, and chicken. The French term cordon bleu is translated to blue ribbon. Referenced in the French encyclopedia of gastronomy Larousse Gastronomique, cordon bleu originally was a wide blue ribbon worn by the highest order of knighthood, L'Ordre des Chevaliers du Saint-Esprit, instituted by Henri III of France in 1578. Since then the term has become associated with food prepared to a very high standard. The first reference to "chicken' cordon bleu was in a New York Times article in 1967, though similar veal dishes were available since the mid-1950's.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb chicken tenderloins or breasts
1/2 lb bacon
1 package of deli-style ham
2 cups of panko
1 box of puff pastry, thawed
1 package cream cheese
1 package of swiss cheese slices
minced garlic, salt, and pepper to taste
4 egg yolks
for the sauce:
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet, and put bacon on the rack. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or to your preferred doneness. Take out of the oven and place on paper towels. Set aside.

Combine egg yolks, garlic, and salt in a small bowl and pour into a ziplock bag. If you're using breasts cut the chicken into cubes and marinate in egg mixture for 3 hours. You can marinate overnight. Put panko onto a small plate and mix in a little salt and pepper. If using tenderloins cut after you fry the chicken.

Heat a large skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Dip each piece of chicken into the panko mixture and place in skillet. Cook the chicken about 3 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Flour your work surface and lay a puff pastry sheet out. Roll out pastry sheet. Cut into squares. Also cut swiss cheese, bacon, and ham into chunks about the same size as your chicken. Take a pastry square and lay a swiss cheese piece down. Next place 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese on the center of the cheese. Take one of the chicken pieces and push it onto the cream cheese. Next, place a portion of the ham onto the chicken. Next place one of the bacon pieces. Top the bacon with another square of cheese. Wrap pastry around the pile and crimp closed, place on parchment. Beat an egg yolk and brush onto the pastries. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool down a little and then cut in half, serve face up.

While chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until mixture clumps together. Gradually whisk in milk, working out the lumps as you stir. Add dijon mustard, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until sauce has a creamy consistency, 2 to 5 minutes.

Alright, that's all I've got this time around. Let me know how you liked the dish. Bon appetite! - @slowcookingchef

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