Recipe: traditional French cordon bleu

We look at how to make a traditional cordon bleu (literally: blue ribbon) using veal.

You could also customise the recipe by using chicken - the most popular modern variant - or pork. 

Other common variations include omitting the bread crumbs and instead wrapping the sliced ham around the chicken, or using bacon to give a smoky flavour. 

You could even try experimenting with your favourite types of cheese - however Comté has a nice strong tangy taste. 

Cordon bleu

Serves 6

Preparation time: 30 minutes  

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 large, thin-cut veal escalopes

• 3 slices of ham, halved

• 100g Comté cheese, sliced 

• 1tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1tbsp olive oil

• breadcrumbs from ½ a stale baguette 

• 80g butter

• salt to taste

Method

1. Place the veal escalopes, one at a time, between two sheets of baking paper and flatten them using a rolling pin.

2. Place a piece of ham on one half of each escalope, add a slice of Comté, then fold the escalopes over to enclose the ham and cheese. You can secure the folded escalope with a cocktail stick if necessary. 

3. Mix the mustard and olive oil together and brush over both sides of the folded escalopes. Coat them with the breadcrumbs, then fry in the butter over a medium heat for 10 minutes until golden brown and cooked through, carefully turning once. Season with salt and serve with pasta of choice.

Bistro by Stéphane Reynaud is published by Mitchell Beazley, priced £40. Photography: Marie-Pierre Morel