Pork Chops with Sage, Mush­rooms and Creme Fraiche

Pork Chops with Sage, Mush­rooms and Creme Fraiche

(serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

pinch sea salt and fresh black pepper

4 bone­less pork chops

8 leaves sage, chopped

4 cloves gar­lic, minced

1 banana shal­lot, minced

12 chest­nut or baby por­to­bel­lo mush­rooms, sliced

1 tbsp flour

1 1/2 c/350 ml beef stock

2 tbsps Madeira or Marsala

1/2 c /118ml half-fat creme fraiche or sour cream

sea salt and fresh black pep­per to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, but­ter and salt and pep­per until bub­bling fast.  Place the pork chops in the saucepan over high heat and fry for 2 min­utes, then turn over and fry on sec­ond side for two min­utes.  Remove to a plate and place the sage, gar­lic, shal­lot and mush­rooms in the saucepan in the pork chop juices, pour­ing over any that may accu­mu­late on the pork chop plate.  Fry until mush­rooms are soft and ful­ly cooked.  Remove mush­rooms to a plate.

Sprin­kle the flour on the juices remain­ing in the saucepan and fry until bub­bling, adding a bit more olive oil if need­ed.  Pour in the beef stock and Madeira or Marsala and bring to a high sim­mer, whisk­ing until thick­ened.  Add creme fraiche or sour cream and whisk until smooth.

At this point you may turn off the heat and wait until your side dish­es are ready to serve.  When about five min­utes away from serv­ing, turn up the heat high under the sauce until bub­bling and place the pork chops and the mush­rooms in the sauce.  Cook, mov­ing the pork chops around, for about 2 fur­ther min­utes or until pork chops are just pink and firm to the touch.  You may choose to serve each per­son with a whole chop, or slice them all on a cut­ting board and arrange on a plat­ter with the sauce.  If you choose to slice them, remove them to the cut­ting board and allow to rest for 2 min­utes before slic­ing.  Keep sauce hot in either case until ready to serve.

This dish is per­fect with mashed or Dauphi­noise pota­toes and some­thing bright green, like sauteed broc­coli, spinach or aspara­gus.  You may also sub­sti­tute chick­en breasts, veal chops or fil­let steak.