I knew this morning that dinner was going to be chicken.  I didn’t know until this afternoon how I was going to prepare it.

Somewhere along the line, stuffed chicken breast came into play – and then it was just a matter of figuring out what to stuff it with.  I did think of a cordon bleu at one point and then remembered that we had asiago cheese at home.  Prosciutto instead of ham, asiago instead of swiss or gruyère, and dinner was formulating!

The chicken was easy to prepare.  I pounded the chicken breasts and layed them flat.  I took 2 slices of prosciutto for each breast and wrapped them around a cube of asiago cheese. I then wrapped the chicken breast around it.

I floured, egg-dipped, and rolled the chicken packages in panko bread crumbs and baked them at 350° for about 45 minutes.

I mixed a half-cup each of wild rice and brown rice and cooked it in 2 cups of chicken broth and a tsp of butter for 45 minutes, and cooked up some frozen french-cut green beans.

I made a quick chicken cream sauce with a bit of chicken broth and heavy cream thickened with a bit of cornstarch.

Yum.

The asiago was perfect, because it doesn’t run like swiss can, and wrapping the cheese in the prosciutto (or ham) helps to contain it, as well.    More than twice I’ve had all the cheese leak out  of the breast while it’s baking.  Wrapping it really helps.

And there’s gonna be homemade pudding for dessert!

Life is good!

1-30-pudding

I found this recipe at Epicurious.com.  It sounded easy enough and I was sure I had all the ingredients.  How we managed to be out of peanut butter is beyond me – but I just happened to have a 6oz jar of an Almond Creme butter that came in a gift basket and was just waiting on the shelf to be needed.  I substituted that as well as dark chocolate for the milk chocolate.  And the lady fingers.  And the big bowl instead of individual bowls…  And I didn’t top with whipped cream – it didn’t need it…

Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Puddings Bon Appétit | January 2009

by Dede Wilson

Serve the puddings in clear dishes to show off the distinct layers.
Yield: Makes 6

Ingredients

Peanut butter pudding:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 5 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/4 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup creamy (smooth) natural peanut butter (made with only peanuts and salt)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate pudding:

  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 4 ounces imported milk chocolate, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

  • 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preparation

For Peanut butter pudding:

Whisk first 3 ingredients in large saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in milk, then cream. Whisk over medium heat until mixture comes to boil. Then boil until thick, whisking constantly, about 30 seconds. Whisk in peanut butter;  boil until thick again, whisking often, about 1 minute longer. Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla.  Divide pudding among six 1-cup glasses or dishes (generous 1/3 cup each). Chill uncovered while preparing chocolate pudding.

For chocolate pudding:

Whisk first 4 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk, then cream. Whisk over medium heat until mixture comes to boil.  Boil until thick, whisking constantly, about 30 seconds. Add chopped chocolate. Boil until chocolate melts and pudding is thick again, whisking often, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla. Cool pudding 5 minutes. Spoon atop peanut butter pudding, dividing equally (about 1/3cup each). Chill puddings uncovered until cold, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

For topping:

Whisk cream and powdered sugar in medium bowl to soft peaks. Spoon topping onto puddings and serve.