This is a new twist on using leftover baked ham that I would never have thought of ... but some other people did.
Having made this soup a few times I was not pleased with the lack of a carbohydrate like potato, yet I didn't want to vary very far from the cordon bleu idea. I also did not care for the amount of onion flavor. I considered it to be excessive and negative in the effect of not allowing ham, chicken and cheese flavors to come through. Ergo, strong onion flavor did not belong. Rather than eliminate it entirely I cut back the amount of onion, and even suggest using a single shallot. I also found that allowing the flavors to blend for a day or two after making the soup eliminated the onion flavor issue.
The crumb exterior of traditional chicken cordon bleu provides the needed carbohydrate to that dish. In turn, this soup needs a substantial amount of relatively small croutons at serving time to create the needed balance. An alternative would be to serve the soup over toast points, more like a creamy meat sauce, which can easily be done by limiting the amount of chicken broth to one cup instead of two cups.
You might try this soup as part of a soup and salad lunch, along with some chilled Pinot Grigio wine.
You also might decide to serve some stone ground wheat crackers, with butter on the side.
Remember to buy/chill the wine and get crackers and make and chill the salad first. Use a vinaigrette dressing for the salad to contrast with and complement the mild creamy soup.
Receive compliments graciously, with a gentle, pleased smile.
Ingredients: (Four servings)
3 tbsp. of butter
1/2 of a small sweet onion, diced (or one shallot, sliced thinly)
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of flour
2 cups of whole milk
1 cup of heavy cream
1 or 2 cups of chicken broth
2 medium size boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked, albumin rinsed/rubbed off, and then cut into 1/4" to 1/3" cubes
6 ounces of leftover baked ham, all fat removed, cut into 1/4" cubes
4 teaspoons of stone ground mustard
6 ounces of sliced Swiss cheese, cut into 1" x 1" pieces
A pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. of sea salt
1/4 tsp. of ground black pepper
1/4 cup of fresh parsley sprigs (as a garnish)
Croutons at serving time
Directions:
Pour the milk, cream and chicken broth into a 2 quart bowl. Stir briefly.
Melt the butter in a three quart saucepan or small soup pot. Add the diced onion and cook over medium heat with some stirring until it is soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. You can cover the saucepan/pot to make the onion cook faster.
Add the minced garlic and cook for two minutes with stirring.
Sprinkle in the flour and whisk the mixture to create a roux. Whisk the roux until it is smooth. Cook for one to two minutes.
Pour in half of the liquids from the bowl, then whisk the mixture on medium heat until it starts to thicken and is smooth.
Gradually add the rest of the liquids. Bring the soup to a low boil, stirring often with a wooden spoon, then stir for one minute.
Turn off the heat and add the chicken cubes, ham cubes, cayenne pepper, mustard and Swiss cheese pieces.
Stir the soup until the Swiss cheese is completely melted. If needed, heat the soup briefly on low heat, with stirring, until the Swiss cheese is melted.
Taste the soup and add additional salt and pepper to taste, with stirring. Your guests can also add additional salt and/or pepper as desired at serving time.
Serve the soup hot immediately with a large bowl of croutons at the table for your guests, and with a parsley sprig on the top of each serving as a garnish.
Yes, this creamy soup will be fine in a soup and salad lunch, along with crackers and butter and glasses of chilled Pinot Grigio wine.
Enjoy!