A new twist on "Fried" chicken cutlets

Last night's dinner was on the fly. I was running home after working a little late, picking some things up quickly at the grocery, picking up DancerinDC at the metro, the swinging by the community center to pick up fresh eggs, first strawberries of the season and probably the last of this season's asparagus. What was I to do???

I got chicken in my mind and thought about doing a fried cutlet kind of them. But I wasn't totally in the mood. Well, I went that route and thought it through on the way home. Instead of frying the cutlets, I'll bread them and then grill them! It worked!

Chicken cutlets coated with flour, dipped in egg, then coated in seasoned bread crumbs. Great texture and good flavor.

Since the grill pan was out, I decided to grill the asparagus we just picked up. Tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and dropped on the pan. Leave them on one side until you can start to smell them cooking, then flip them over and give them another few quick minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, I wanted to revisit the Hollandaise Sauce fail from a few weeks ago. I learned from my mistakes and got it right this time. But I also went a step further and turned my Hollandaise into a Bearnaise Sauce. This may not be completely authentic, since I didn't have tarragon, but it was good. Prior to mixing the eggs and butter, I sauted some finely diced shallots in a little butter until they were almost tender, I turned the heat up and added some white wine, salt, pepper and a pinch of dried oregano to replace the tarragon. Simmer until the wine is reduced to about 2 TB and thickened. Halfway through whisking the melted butter into the Hollandaise, I stirred in the shallots and wine. I continued with the rest of the butter. So good!

The cutlets and asparagus would have been nice like this. Perhaps a wedge of lemon to brighten things up. But really...

...why not gild the lily and spoon over plenty of Bearnaise Sauce for the ultimate indulgence. The three items perfectly complemented each other. The sauce held and did what it was supposed to. The asparagus was perfectly cook, just a smidge before being tender and the chicken was crispy, crunchy and not fried or oily. All in all a good dinner. Also complemented with a bottle of white bordeaux.