Christmas Feast List: Chicken Cordon Bleu

Practically all dishes with cheese in its main ingredients can really fancy my palate and for my "Christmas Feast List", Chicken Cordon Bleu is on my top five. Steamed chicken meat on the inside but fried on the outside, simply magical! Despite the deep-frying, the meat stays moist, thanks to the japanese bread crumbs that can really guarantee a perfect golden brown result, even if the cook is just a beginner. 

The usual basics of this dish is boneless chicken breast wrapped in ham or bacon and stuffed with soft cheese like mozzarella,swiss or bleu cheese commonly baked or fried (the latter is my favorite!). To those who don't eat pork, ham or bacon is substituted by very thin sliced beef.

I'm not really sure where this dish originated but according to the very helpful "Wikipedia" the earliest reference about this dish was in 1967, published in "The New York Times.

According to chickencordonbleurecipe.net, "As a French-inspired poultry dish, there was proof that chicken cordon bleu was developed by chefs in the United States in order to imitate or reproduce other stuffed chicken meat dishes from Europe. From its name, it is clear that chicken cordon bleu is of French origin. Chicken cordon bleu, in French,  has meaning as blue ribbon. Chicken cordon bleu by French culinary tradition is honored as high quality food made by high quality chefs. The most similar European dish to chicken cordon bleu is chicken Kiev. Stuffed with seasoned butter, Chicken Kiev is also dredged in breadcrumbs before being fried. There is also heavy influence from a Swiss dish, Veal Cordon Bleu, which is wrapped in cheese and ham before being fried."

Here's a recipe of Chicken Cordon Bleu, Pinoy Style! (courtesy of http://lutongpinoyrecipe.info/pinoy-chicken-cordon-bleu/)

PINOY CHICKEN CORDON BLEU INGREDIENTS

2 whole chicken breast marinated in calamansi and salt
2 thin slices ham, halved lenghtwise
4 slices cheese
1/4 cup fine corn flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. paprika

PINOY CHICKEN CORDON BLEU PROCEDURE

• Halve chicken breasts then cut meat in one piece from bones. Pull each half breast open in the middle to make a deep pocket.

• Tuck a slice of ham and cheese into each pocket. Melt butter or margarine in pie plate.

• Mix corn flakes, salt and paprika in another plate.

• Roll stuffed chicken fist in buteer then in crumb mixture to coat well. Place in a single layer in buttered baking dish. Bake in hot oven 400 degrees F. until chicken is golden brown.

In case that you don't have time to prepare this dish, check Bascon Cafe, they definitely serve a great batch of chicken cordon bleu with honey mustard sauce.

Christmas Feast List: Pancit Molo

I could only think of one soup that would make our Noche Buena extra-ordinary, it's won ton soup Filipino style or more popularly known as Pancit Molo.

This dish may have been greatly influenced by the Chinese, but with the Filipinos' love for modification, we can claim that this is our very own.    Pancit Molo is named after one of the popular districts in Iloilo City. Originally, the recipe is consisting of combined pork and beef meat made into dumplings, now there are already recipes using ground chicken meat, suited for those who are more health-conscious. 

The name Pancit Molo is a "noodle-less" dish but since the Molo wrapper is also made of flour and water just like any other noodles, this qualifies as such. 

It is said that the original flavor of this dish can be tasted if it is prepared by one from the Lazaro clan in Iloilo as they are claimed to have the best recipe of the Molo. Maybe in one of my Iloilo trips I can ask my relatives there if this is true but for the meantime, of course my mom's Pancit Molo is still the best.

Here's a link for a recipe of this all-time hit. http://easypeasypinoyrecipes.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/ez-pz-pancit-molo-ala-tita-ditas/

Christmas Feast List: Arroz a la Valenciana

My 37 Christmases would've been incomplete if not for my my mom's Arroz a la Valenciana. Best eaten right after it's cooked, this rice dish can easily warm the tummy and personally, my heart. I have tried various versions but I always go back to my mom's cooking. She has this unique ability to come up with tasty dishes with flavors just right. Her ingredients are not elaborate but she is able to bring out the best in every single one. I think her secret is she tries to get all of the flavor from the ingredients themselves and does not just depend on artificial seasoning like those available at the local grocery store.

Ingredients that are often seen on Mommy's dish would be chorizo bilbao which brings the smokey sweet flavor, raisins which is her natural sweetener, chicken liver that adds more texture, chicken gizzard to demand robust chewing by the way, chicken and pork meat (how I love this combination), garbanzos, red bell pepper and potatoes so veggies are well represented and shrimp to provide the twist. 

Just last night, my bestfriend Minnie enjoyed the valenciana as we commonly call it, batch by batch. Diet slipped through the window without the guilt. I guess my mom's cooking has greatly influenced my taste on what good food is all about.

Fun Facts:

     * Arroz a la Valenciana is often mistaken as a Filipino dish but the truth is, it is Portuguese.

     * Paella and Ba Chang could be considered cousins of valenciana.

    * Paella is tomato-based and usually showcases food from the sea, from squid, shrimp to crabs and asian green mussels, more commonly known by Filipinos as "tahong." 

     * Ba Chang is with a chinese descent but also uses glutinuous rice, deboned chicken, monkey's ears (hey, it's just mushroom!) and dried chestnuts and are usually served during mid-June in celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival.

     * In Bacolod, the best ba Chang is served by the undisputed chinese establishment in the Shopping Area called City Lunch Restaurant. It's just so yummy that a single batch can't stay long enough on the steamer as customers rush to get one. Better call and reserve to make sure you're counted amongst the lucky ones to enjoy 'em.

Food Food Food!

December is most likely the food month of every Filipino. People of all ages look forward for the yuletide season and make it as a legitimate reason for pigging out. Even the strong-willed dieters are not exempted to enjoy the feast and just plan to double their exercise and lip-zip time on the following month. 

This has inspired me to share my food hunt, both virtual and reality, on a separate blog and enhance it not just with pictures but also with rich food facts and honest reviews in case I actually give them a try. I may not be a chef but I can guarantee my readers that my palate can pinpoint the good and bad in food (my size is my greatest evidence.) 

Brunch and More will attempt to feature different kinds of foods, restaurants, kitchen secrets and accurate, easy and fun to do recipes for everyone to enjoy.