I was introduced to some version of this in a small, family-run restaurant along the German-French border in 2012. This recipe is as close as I've come to being able to duplicate it.
2 pork chops of your choice (wild or domestic, bone-in or boneless, take your pick)
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon each of:
Brown sugar
Olive oil
Butter
Flour
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon freshly ground or cracked black pepper
Prior to marinating, slit the fat and connective tissue every couple inches around the edges of the chops. This will keep them from curling up while cooking. Dissolve the sugar in the mustard. Coat the chops and allow to marinate for several hours.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove chops from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. In a 12" skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high flame until just starting to smoke. Sear the chops until nicely browned on each side, just a few minutes per side. Transfer to casserole dish and put in oven. Bake until meat thermometer registers 145 degrees F. This is where your selection of chops comes into play; cook time could vary from 20 minutes for smaller boneless chops to nearly an hour for large, bone-in Iowa chops.
Just keep an eye on the thermometer.
Meanwhile, saute the onion in the same skillet until soft and translucent. Add the butter and drop flame to medium-low. When butter is melted and lightly browned, stir in flour. Cook for a couple minutes until flour is browned and loses its "floury" taste. Add very small amounts of chicken broth, thoroughly mixing into the roux, then gradually add more and more broth until the entire cup is in the pan, stirring to scrape up the brown bits from the chops. Add pepper to taste and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly.
When the chops reach 145 F, remove from oven and transfer to plate or platter and tent with aluminum foil. Pour any juices from the casserole dish into your onion sauce. Boost the sauce to medium flame, still stirring, until thickened to desired consistency. Plate chops and drizzle with sauce.
In Germany, this was served with boiled potatoes and green beans, but I felt like I needed a shot of spring so opted for a salad with roasted peppers. The other thing missing was a bottle of Merlot. However, the stuff I had in Europe was grown, pressed, aged and bottled within five miles of where I drank it. I wasn't quite that ambitious for lunch today... Anyway, enjoy!
2 pork chops of your choice (wild or domestic, bone-in or boneless, take your pick)
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon each of:
Brown sugar
Olive oil
Butter
Flour
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon freshly ground or cracked black pepper
Prior to marinating, slit the fat and connective tissue every couple inches around the edges of the chops. This will keep them from curling up while cooking. Dissolve the sugar in the mustard. Coat the chops and allow to marinate for several hours.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove chops from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. In a 12" skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high flame until just starting to smoke. Sear the chops until nicely browned on each side, just a few minutes per side. Transfer to casserole dish and put in oven. Bake until meat thermometer registers 145 degrees F. This is where your selection of chops comes into play; cook time could vary from 20 minutes for smaller boneless chops to nearly an hour for large, bone-in Iowa chops.
Just keep an eye on the thermometer.Meanwhile, saute the onion in the same skillet until soft and translucent. Add the butter and drop flame to medium-low. When butter is melted and lightly browned, stir in flour. Cook for a couple minutes until flour is browned and loses its "floury" taste. Add very small amounts of chicken broth, thoroughly mixing into the roux, then gradually add more and more broth until the entire cup is in the pan, stirring to scrape up the brown bits from the chops. Add pepper to taste and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly.
When the chops reach 145 F, remove from oven and transfer to plate or platter and tent with aluminum foil. Pour any juices from the casserole dish into your onion sauce. Boost the sauce to medium flame, still stirring, until thickened to desired consistency. Plate chops and drizzle with sauce.
In Germany, this was served with boiled potatoes and green beans, but I felt like I needed a shot of spring so opted for a salad with roasted peppers. The other thing missing was a bottle of Merlot. However, the stuff I had in Europe was grown, pressed, aged and bottled within five miles of where I drank it. I wasn't quite that ambitious for lunch today... Anyway, enjoy!
