Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Chicken Cordon Bleu Cake with Lemony Honey-Mustard Sauce


There are a few recipes I've come up with for days when I didn't defrost anything to make, need to clear some stuff out of my pantry, or have run out of most other ingredients and need to do groceries. This is an example of one of those recipes. Really the ingredients are pretty basic, and most of it is stuff you probably have in your pantry and fridge right now. I have made several variations of this dish, including a salmon cake, and a tuna cake too. The recipes are a little different, but basically the same concept. I typically make this version with turkey-ham but I didn't have any so I used turkey bacon (yes we're a kosher household). The sauce on top of the cake really makes this ordinary meal a lot more elegant and tasty.

Ingredients:
2 large cans chicken
9 strips of turkey bacon (or about 1 cup cubed diced turkey ham)
1 serving instant mashed potatoes (prepared following package directions)
1 cup milk (or whatever the instructions on the mashed potatoes say)
1/2 stick butter
1 large onion
5 cloves garlic
6 stems scallions
1 cup cheddar-jack shredded cheese (really any shredded cheese will work)
1/3 cup bread crumbs (plus more for dusting when forming patties)
3 eggs
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste ( I like to add a generous dash of pepper to this dish)

First line a cookie sheet with foil and place bacon on it and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. They shouldn't be too crispy at this point because they will continue to cook once in the pan and in the cake itself. Next dice up an onion and grate or mince the garlic cloves. Add the butter to a non-stick skillet and add the onions and garlic. You can season them with salt and pepper if you like at this point. Next drain the cans of chicken and roughly chop it. Remove the onions from the pan and put the chicken in. Allow the chicken to brown a bit.

Next cut up the turkey bacon and add it to the pan where the chicken is. Add the onion and garlic in too. Combine these ingredients well and brown a little more on medium heat. Next put these ingredients in a large bowl.
Finely slice your scallions and prepare the instant mashed potatoes according to the package instructions.

Add the scallions and the the Dijon mustard to the mixing bowl. Add the eggs in too. Blend all of this well with a spatula. Don't do it with your hands unless you've allowed the chicken-bacon-onion mix to cool down a bit. I burned my hands a little yesterday- not fun.Next add the cheese and the breadcrumbs.

Now you will form the patties and once they're formed, just lightly dust them in bread crumbs. Do not egg and batter them, as it will create too thick a crust for this flaky cake. But that's just my humble opinion. Place the patties on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I served this dish with sauteed green beans, carrots, red onion, mushrooms and garlic. I also made a cheddar and chive cornbread. (I used the instant cornbread mix and just doctored it up a bit)
And lastly, here is the recipe for that glorious sauce...

Ingredients:
1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. low fat mayo
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 lemon (the zest and juice of a whole one)
1 tsp. cider vinegar

In a bowl combine the honey, mustard, and mayo. Whisk really well to avoid little mayo clumps. You really have to put your back into this because no-one likes a clumpy sauce. Then add the water, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and lemon zest and whisk briskly again. Add the remaining ingredients and combine well. Serve over the cake or use as a salad dressing.

1 comment:

The_Brain said...

Oh my god, it looks absolutely yummy.
I'm definitely trying this recipe this week end.
Thank you for the detailed explanation.


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