cookbook club

These ham-and-cheese bites are the perfect cocktail party appetizer, but you can also cut it into larger portions and serve with a simple side salad for a satisfying yet light meal.

Ham and Cheese Feuilleté

puff pastry,

All-purpose flour (for surface)

Dijon mustard,

Swiss cheese, thinly sliced

heavy cream

This recipe is one of our favorites from Martha Stewart’s Entertaining, our December 2018 Cookbook Club pick. These are the perfect cocktail party appetizer, but you can also cut it into larger portions and serve with a simple side salad for a satisfying yet light meal.

Bon Appétit

Roll out 1 package of puff pastry on a floured surface to a 16x12" rectangle. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill while you roll out remaining sheet of pastry. Transfer to another parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill both sheets of pastry until cold, about 15 minutes.

Transfer parchment with pastry to a clean surface. Spread ¼ cup mustard evenly over 1 sheet of pastry, leaving a ½" border around the edges. Layer ham, then cheese over mustard. Fold border of pastry up over edge of filling. Brush edges lightly with water. Arrange remaining sheet of pastry on top, then trim edges with kitchen shears or a sharp knife so top layer fits over bottom with no overhang. Crimp edges with a fork. Using parchment, slide pastry back onto baking sheet. Chill, uncovered, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly beat egg and cream in a small bowl to blend. Brush egg wash evenly over puff pastry. Cut thin slits in a decorative pattern into top of pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake feuilleté, rotating pan halfway through, until puffed and deep golden brown, 30–35 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting into 1½" squares. Serve warm with additional mustard alongside.

Do Ahead: Feuilleté can be assembled 12 hours ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled.

This classic dish features chicken breasts stuffed with thin slices of ham and cheese that are then coated in breadcrumbs and pan-fried. To avoid tearing the meat, pound it with a glancing (diagonal) motion rather than straight down, working from the center of the breast to the edge. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu

chicken breasts (about 1½ lb. total)

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Gruyère

dry breadcrumbs

parsley (from about ¼ bunch)

all-purpose flour

Tbsp. neutral oil (such as grapeseed

This classic dish features chicken breasts stuffed with thin slices of ham and cheese that are then coated in breadcrumbs and pan-fried. To avoid tearing the meat, pound it with a glancing (diagonal) motion rather than straight down, working from the center of the breast to the edge. This recipe is from the latest edition of Joy of Cooking, our February 2020 Cookbook Club pick.
Adapted and excerpted from Joy of Cooking by John Becker and Megan Scott. Copyright ©️ 2019. Reprinted by permission of Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Trim any fat around edges of chicken. Working one at a time, place chicken between sheets of parchment paper and pound with a mallet or rolling pin until about ¼" thick. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper.

Arrange chicken smooth side down on a work surface. Cover one half of each breast with one slice of ham and one slice of cheese, leaving space around the edges. Fold breast in half over ham and cheese and press edges together to firmly seal.

Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, 1 tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper in a shallow bowl. Whisk egg and 1 Tbsp. water in another shallow bowl. Spread flour on a plate.

Press both sides of chicken in flour, shaking off any excess, then dip both sides into egg mixture. Coat all over with breadcrumb mixture, patting with your fingers to adhere. Transfer to a plate.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Cook chicken, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 2–3 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt. Bake chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°, about 5 minutes.

You'll only need a handful of ingredients for this speedy noodle dish from Anna Jones' cookbook Easy Wins. Dinner for two, done! 

Sesame and chilli oil noodles

egg noodles

peanut butter

tahini

soy sauce

sesame oil

chilli oil

spring onions (about 6), trimmed and finely sliced

sesame seeds

Flaky, buttery and peppered with tangy pickles, Nicola Lamb's savoury cheese scones are out-of-this-world delicious.

Flaky cheese & pickle scones 

plain flour

dark rye flour

baking powder (about 2½ tsp)

flaky sea salt (about 1⅛ tsp)

black pepper (about 1 tsp)

mature Cheddar cheese, grated

butter, very cold

pickled gherkins,

buttermilk (see Top Tip)

Egg wash

EQUIPMENT

6.5cm cutter

From Nagi Maehashi's flavour-packed debut cookbook RecipeTin Eats: Dinner, this super-quick noodle recipe makes a cracking midweek meal. Dinner, done! 

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Top Tags

Ham and Cheese Feuilleté

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Sesame and chilli oil noodles

Flaky cheese & pickle scones

Spicy Sichuan pork noodles

Top 5 cookbook club recipes from across the web

The most viewed cookbook club recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Ham and Cheese Feuilleté

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Sesame and chilli oil noodles

Flaky cheese & pickle scones

Spicy Sichuan pork noodles

The most viewed cookbook club recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine