Pork Cutlets with Mustard Sauce

“Maggie, what do you eat on a daily basis,” people often ask me when they first learn about Eat When Your’e Hungry. “Give me some of your real food recipes.” Well, I’m just as busy as the next person in this 24-hour/day nonstop working world, but when I do find the time to cook a meal worth sharing, I guess I really should start posting the recipes here. These are tried and true Maggie favorites: easy and delicious, and always made with real food (rather than food-like-substances).

Here goes. This is a recipe we made last week and one that has become almost a weekly staple. It’s a cinch to make and tastes like a meal you’d eat at a fancy restaurant. As you can see from the picture, we often make it with roasted potatoes and either broccoli or asparagus. Bonus points for you if you see the heart-shaped potato on my hubby’s plate.

Try this recipe when you feel like putting on your chef’s hat. You’ll be so impressed with yourself after making this dish, you may even feel inspired to buy the entire cookbook.

Pork Cutlets with Mustard Sauce
Courtesty of Food Made Fast: Weeknight (Williams-Sonoma)

Boneless center-cut pork loin chops, 4, each about 6 oz
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Mustard seeds, 1 tablespoon
Unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons
Shallots, 2, minced (chopped frozen onions are also A-OK)
Dry white wine, 1/3 cup
Chicken broth, 1/3 cup
Heavy (double) cream, 1/3 cup
Honey Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons

1. Cook the pork

Season the pork chops with salt, pepper, and the mustard seeds, patting them firmly into the meat. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Working in batches if necessary, add the pork chops and cook, turning once, until golden on the outside and barely pink in the center, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

2. Make the sauce

Add the shallots to the drippings in the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and broth, stir, and cook, scraping up the browned bits on the pan bottom, for about 1 minute. Add the cream and mustard and cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbly, about 1 minute. Return the pork and any juices from the plate to the pan. Simmer until the pork is heated through, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper