some guidance on pork chops with sauce charcutière

my spin on a culinary school favorite

what you need

pork chops (I found some nice thinly sliced vietnamese style pork chops at my butcher)

spoonful chopped shallots

spoonful chopped cornichons

spoonful of dijon mustard

~1/2 cup white or orange wine (whatever you have on hand)

~1/2 cup chicken or veggie stock

1-2 tbsp cold unsalted butter

kosher salt

black pepper

olive oil

what you do

preheat a cast iron or stainless steel pan on medium to high heat. In the meantime, season pork chops generously on both sides with salt and pepper. when your pan is hot, add a splash of olive oil and spread around. Cook pork chops, flipping when golden brown and removing from heat when cooked through (for thin chops, about 2-3 mins a side).

turn down heat and if your pan has become dry, add another splash of olive oil. Add chopped shallots and cornichons, and cook for 1-2 mins until softened. Add wine to deglaze pan and cook until wine has almost fully reduced, what is called ‘au sec’ or ‘almost dry.’ Add dijon mustard and swirl to mix in, then add stock and continue to cook until reduced by about half. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. turn off heat and add a pad of cold butter, then swirl continuously to emulsify the sauce. serve immediately, spooning the sauce over your pork chops. get ready for your mind to be blown.

serving suggestions

I served with some charred carrots topped with a spoonful of brown butter along with some cacio e pepe polenta (to make, cook polenta according to package instructions and at the end add finely grated pecorino romano and freshly ground black pepper to taste).