Ingredients
Serves: 4
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 8 x pork loin pieces, each weighing about 80g
- 60g plain flour - sieved
- 4 whole eggs - cracked and whisked
- 150g panko bread crumbs
- 4 slices cooked ham
- 4 slices smoked cheddar cheese, roughly the same size as the ham
- 40g butter
- 1/2 lemon zested
- Salt and pepper
- 55ml vegetable oil
For the sauce:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 200g button mushrooms - sliced
- 1/2 small onion - chopped
- 1 clove garlic - chopped
- 80ml white wine, you can leave this out, just add extra stock
- 120ml chicken stock - packet is fine
- 125g sour cream
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon, if you only have dried use 1/2 tsp
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Salt and pepper
Method
1. Heat a pan over medium heat.
2. Add the butter. When hot, add the mushrooms, sauté until all their moisture has come out and they start to colour.
3. Add the onion and garlic and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the white wine and reduce by half.
5. Add the stock, sour cream and Dijon mustard.
6. Bring the sauce to a simmer and allow to thicken.
7. This will take 2 or 3 minutes.
8. Add the tarragon and lemon juice and check the seasoning.
9. Keep warm until needed.
For the Pork Escalopes:
1. Place 3 deep dishes on your worktop.
2. Put the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs separately into each dish.
3. Season the flour with salt and pepper.
4. Add the lemon zest to the breadcrumbs and mix.
5. Flatten out the pieces of pork between 2 sheets of parchment paper until about 14 cm in diameter.
6. Place 4 pieces of the escalopes on your chopping board. Place one slice of ham in the centre of each and then a slice of cheese on top of the ham.
7. Lay the remaining pork escalopes on top of the cheese so that it's almost sandwich-like.
8. Make sure there is no ham or cheese sticking out the sides, if so, just trim them off. Press down each of the filled escalopes to cause them to stick together.
9. Put each escalope in the flour and coat them lightly. Then place them into the egg, making sure they each get completely coated evenly.
10. Finally, place them into the breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs into the escalopes to ensure they are completely coated.
11. Heat a large pan over a medium heat.
12. Add the vegetable oil, and when hot, add the butter.
13. When the butter starts to foam, carefully place the escalopes into the pan - this might have to be done in two batches, so have extra oil and butter just in case.
14. Cook the escalopes for 4 or 5 minutes until golden brown.
15. Turn them over and cook for a further 4 minutes, remove and place onto a warm serving dish.
16. Serve with the sauce and some sautéed potatoes or even just a nice, simple green salad.
Tips:
1. This works just as well without the cheese and ham. The cooking time will be less.
2. The pork can be changed for chicken breasts, flattened in the same way.
3. You don't have to make the mushroom sauce. A wedge of lemon per person is a perfect and simple way to serve the escalopes, also.
