cordon bleu

[David Naylor]

I am having a debate with somebody at the moment regarding the term cordon bleu, not the cooking school but the filling of meat with ham and cheese.

I am being told that the term in the US, and nowhere else, means 'stuffed with ham and cheese'

I am not aware the term is US related only, am i right in thinking that the term is used elsewhere to mean 'stuffed with ham and cheese'??

This guy is one of them dam journalist types

Regards

David

[Jon Tseng]

No I've heard of it in UK. Think naff 1960 and 70s dinner party food. Chicken corden bleu - stuffed with ham and cheese.

Think breadcrumbing and frying may also be involved but don't quote me on that.

J

[Daryl Goh]

M&S certainly used to do a Chicken Cordon Bleu in the '80s, perhaps they still do? Crumbed chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese. Always a nice change from the Chicken Kiev...

[Matthew Grant]

I recall this term in the UK back in the 70's/early 80's, I can't remember hearing it for years.

[ravelda]

Deffinately here in the UK and not exclusively USA. M&S used to sell the bloody things in their nasty metal trays alongside chicken Kiev.

[apshelbourne]

Food Timeline thinks it was an American invention of the 1960s, but I've seen references to Veal CB being of Swiss or Italian origin.

Some recipes indicate veal or chicken covered with a slice each of ham and emmenthal, then grilled. Later recipes either stuff the meat or sandwich the filling between two slices before breadcrumbing and frying.

I can vouchsafe that chicken CB is ubiquitous in the touristy parts of Croatia. Quite appalling to a gastronomic purist, but very large, greasy & satisfying.

[Basildog]

Chicken Cordon Bleu was on the menu at a shit hotel i worked at back in the late 80's.

[JudyB]

Not that I'm bored or anything... , but the BBC website has a Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe from AWT here. I think that it has mostly gone out of fashion, but I wouldn't have been surprised to find that Waitrose or M&S were selling it alongside such gems as Chicken Kiev.

[britcook]

Back to the original question, a bit of cursory research points to Veal Cordon Bleu (or Schnitzel Cordon Bleu) from Austria or Switzerland as the source of that particular combination, it may have developed as Chicken Cordon Bleu in the US.

Like lots of "classic" dishes whose reputations have been ruined by poor quality mass catering imitations, Chicken Cordon Bleu properly cooked with decent ingredients can still be a fine dish, albeit not quite the pinnacle of haute cuisine that it once was.

[Gary Marshall]

busy then david?

well i remember as kids a weekly choice from the freezer for tea of chicken kiev or cordon bleu - being stuffed with ham & cheese.

cheers

gary

[fisherman]

I had Schnitzel Cordon Bleu is Hungary last year, and it was far far better than I was expecting

[David Naylor]

what this guy is saying is that ONLY in the USA does the term cordon bleu mean stuffed with ham and cheese. I am quite sure it has the same meaning across europe. Veal cordon bleu etc

regards

david

[Carlovski]

I remember being rather partial to it as a kid - every self respecting international style bar restaurant in a spanish tourist resort does it. I seem to remember it seeming like quite a sophisticated choice.....

I was quite offput one time when it came covered in gravy though - molten cheese and gravy isn't really my cup of tea.

Anyway, chicken cordon bleu is far more respectable than the myriad of 'kiev' varieites on offer in your average supermarket freezer - chicken korma kiev anyone?