OMAR's PARIS RECIPES
Most my Omar T recipes are quite simple. This seemed like a good book to also talk some technique and ways to add your own variations with a base of 2 French classics. ENJOY!
Omar T’s Chicken Cordon Blue
The French term cordon bleu is translated as "blue ribbon". The cordon bleu "was originally a wide blue ribbon worn by members of the highest order of knighthood, L'Ordre des chevaliers du Saint-Esprit, instituted by Henri III of France in 1578. Alas, this dish was not born at the now famed cooking school, Institute de Cordon Blue, though, clearly, each aspired to being elevated like knighthood.
Create a Paddy:
Flatten your chicken breast/split breast: slice a raw, boneless, skinless 8-10 once chicken breast half way, slicing from its long side, not its short side. Place on cutting board, sliced end down. Top with parchment paper or plastic wrap, to flatten with a mallet. When pounding, start from the middle and work toward the edge. You want to end up with a fairly consistent width between a ¼” and 3/8” flattened breast. Even better is to ask your butcher with a split breast cut of 8 to 10 once, which is a double breast separated from the bone and attached in the middle. These only need a light pounding to achieve a paddy. Pounding meat, chicken, veal, beef, or pork, not only can create a ‘paddy’ for creative cooking, it acts as a tenderizer by the breaking up of the muscle fiber. (I have created a “Cordon Blue” version with each of these other meats as well).
Create Cordon Blue:
Season your raw chicken paddy with salt and pepper.
Lay a slice of ham of similar size on top of chicken and then a slice of Swiss cheese. Sliced baked ham, and Gruyère cheese are traditional, but you can certainly have fun by trying different ingredients. Then you can give yourself knighthood and name the dish after yourself…
Roll this threesome to make a roll. Traditionally, use Kitchen/Butcher’s Twine to tie the roll together for baking. Ideally, place two ties—one ¼ of the way in from each end, so that the middle is approximately half of the roll. When you bake it this way, it resembles a chicken breast, plumper in the middle. This is a more delectable look, whether you let your guest cut their own twine or you do it for them before serving. Commercially and practically, I usually left the twine on the shelf. I developed the technique with whatever meat I’m stuffing, to pound one end of the meat patty very thin so that I could use it as a flap that would hold together the creation without string. I roll from the opposite end leaving the thin side last. I then use this ‘flap’ to tighten the roll against the flesh. Then place this connection directly on the pan so that it seals it while cooking. This may be a challenge to visualize, but just have fun with it 😊
Crust:
Traditional: refrigerate your roll for at least 20 minutes. Create an egg bath by beating a raw egg. Roll the roll in flour, tapping off excess. Fill a bowl with breadcrumbs. You can purchase Panko Bread Crumbs or better yet, make your own (food process garlic toasts or croutons into crumbs). Finish the roll by rolling in the bread crumbs.
Omar T crust. I skip the flour and egg bath and just roll the raw meat in the bread crumbs for a lighter but cleaner flavor and texture addition.
Bake: flap down or twine ties up, at 325ﹾ for 50 minutes
Airfry: 325ﹾ for 20 minutes
It can be served as is or with a sauce. Chicken cordon bleu is traditionally topped with a decadent cream sauce made with Parmesan cheese and Dijon mustard.
French Onion Soup
French onion soup is a beloved classic, more in concept than exact recipe. What I mean is we can achieve its delicious comfort without following one set of ingredients or specific technique. Ask any Parisian how they make their soupe à l'oignon, and you will inevitably find a personal variation. Making a great French onion soup is about developing deep flavors, balancing the sweetness of caramelized onions with the savory richness of beef broth, and finishing with a lush, melty cheese topping. Unlike many soups, you can make a great onion soup to order, in small portions, without a major cleanup. It also freezes wonderfully. Perhaps, like some of us more mature humans, this soup can even benefit from a regeneration.
Traditional one pot soup
French tradition insists on caramelizing the onions in butter and some, like Julie Child insist on adding sugar. Just say know to the sugar, certainly use the butter if you are making a small, one pot, version with sliced onions. For this simple technique, slice your onions (2 large), breathe through your mouth, not you nose, to minimize tears. Start searing you sliced onions on medium heat, stirring constantly with a non-abrasive instrument. Add an 1/8 cup of unsalted butter, continue the sauté, until you achieve a consistent browning of your onions. Add a cup of red wine, and simmer until you reduce the liquid by half. Add 2 cups of beef broth and bring close to a boil, turn the heat down and let it simmer for 5 to 15 minutes. Try the soup, salt it to taste. If your onions lack flavor, you can add garlic and/or pepper. Untraditional substitutes such as chicken broth and other types of liquor, can all make delicious onion soups, with or without the melted cheese topping.
Topping
Traditionally, you poor the onion soup in a bakeable bowl, top it with a slice of French bread, and cheese. Then bake or broil until you have a gooey melted topping, with some caramelizing brown. Swiss Gruyère is the traditional cheese for it is especially good at melting and caramelizing without the butter fat being separated. Don’t have a bakeable bowl or a broiler? Sprinkling a grated hard cheese such as Gruyère, Asiago, Parmesan or Manchego is a still delicious addition to an onion soup. Another great variation to first create a garlic bread toast out of your slice of bread, before placing it on top. Or, substitute garlic croutons for the slice to go along with your cheese.
PARIS MAPS
PARIS READING RECOMENDATIONS AND QUOTES
Author/Artist Deamer Dunn BOOKS
DEAMER SKETCHBOOKS -BOOKS YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN!
Deamer ART
Copyright © 2020
Any use of these images without the written approval of the artist is prohibited.
Keep in touch with Deamer, as Omar travels the world!
deamer at artbz.bz
Please pass on your impressions; write a review on Amazon and/or other sites such as Goodreads – your thoughts can really make a difference!
Most your local bookstores can also get you Deamer novels at the same price as Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/author/deamerdunn
YouTube Author/Artist Page (music videos of art & book sketches):
https://www.youtube.com/user/deamerdunn