Moutarde Parizot
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Poulbot
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La Belle Cuisine - More Pork Recipes

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Pork Chops with Mustard and Bacon

“Watch a French housewife as she makes her way slowly along the
loaded stalls… searching for the peak of ripeness and flavor…
What you are seeing is a true artist at work, patiently assembling
all the materials of her craft, just as the painter squeezes oil colors
onto his palette ready to create a masterpiece.”
~ Keith Floyd

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Du Vin Blanc Extraordinaire
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Forney, Steve
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 8 (4oz.) Boneless
Pork Chops

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Medieval Kitchen of Chateau de Pierreclos,
Burgundy, France
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Engelbrecht, Lisa
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Pork Chops with Mustard and Bacon
Food & Wine’s Best of the Best,Vol. 4
Editor in Chief Judith Hill, 2001, American Express Publishing Corp.
from
Anne Willan: From My Chateau Kitchen
By Anne Willan, 2000, Crown Publishing Group

Serves 4

“Even older than the Burgundian taste for spices is the love of mustard, a
favorite of the Romans. The great dukes of Burgundy liked to speed parting
guests with the gift of a barrel of mustard. Legend has it that the name derives
from 1382, when Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy granted the city of Dijon a
coat of arms bearing the motto ‘Moulte Me Tarde (Much Awaits Me),’ a trade-
mark adopted by today’s mustard makers. A more likely derivation is equally
picturesque: moulte arde means ‘much burning.’ No matter what the origins,
the name refers to a type of mustard, not to the place where it is made. Dijon
mustard must contain only black mustard seeds (the strongest and most expen-
sive), which are stripped of their skin before grinding. Mustard from Meaux,
just east of Paris, is more coarsely ground and includes the skins, giving a
rougher texture, darker color, and les intense taste. As for the mustard from
Bordeaux, smooth, mild, and often flavored with herbs, Burgundians dismiss
it as effeminate.
"It is no accident that the traditional centers of French mustard production
are famous for their wines (Meaux borders Champagne). Good French mustard
needs wine vinegar or verjuice (the juice of sour grapes), and often wine itself
to develop characteristic flavors that vary from region to region. Recipes of the
top Dijon manufacturers – Maille, Grey Poupon, and the like – are secret and
all are subject to appellation controlée quality standards. Most Dijon mustard
has a clean, sharp taste, designed to be a condiment though it is also perfect
for cooking. Do not, however, overheat mustard as this destroys the enzymes
that contribute much to its taste – mustard in a sauce should always be added
toward the end of cooking or it will turn bitter.

“This modest little dish is a mainstay of many a Burgundian bistro where it is
served with boiled or panfried potatoes. The few ingredients complement each
other just right. Choose thick pork chops so they serve four people generously.”

4 thick pork chops
2 to 3 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
A 4-ounce/125-g piece of lean bacon, diced
3/4 cup/175 ml dry white wine
1 cup/250 ml veal or chicken stock, more if needed
A bouquet garni *
1/2 cup/125 ml crème fraîche or heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

* A bouquet garni is defined by Anne Willan in her glossary as “…a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf, and several sprigs of parsley, tied together with string.” If you don’t have a sprig of thyme, a quarter teaspoon of dried leaves will do fine. In this case, tie the herbs in cheesecloth or put them in a small tea ball and suspend it from the edge of the pan.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C. Put the flour in a shallow bowl and season it with salt and pepper. Coat the pork chops with the flour, patting to remove any excess, and set them aside. Heat the oil in a sauté pan or deep frying pan with an ovenproof handle and fry the bacon until browned. Remove the bacon and set it aside. Add the chops to the pan and brown them well, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Pour in the wine and simmer with the chops for 2 minutes. Add the stock and the bouquet garni and replace the bacon. Cover the pan, transfer it to the oven, and cook until the chops are very tender when pierced with a two-pronged fork, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Turn them from time to time, and add more stock if at any time the pan seems dry.
Transfer the chops to a warm serving dish or individual plates and keep them warm. Add the cream to the pan and bring the sauce to a boil, stirring to dissolve the pan juices. After 3 to 5 minutes, take the pan from the heat, discard the bouquet garni, and whisk in the mustard, parsley, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more mustard to your taste; don’t let the sauce come back to a boil once you’ve added the mustard. Spoon the sauce over the chops and serve them right away.

   Wine Recommendation:  This dish, with its pork, mustard, and bacon, calls for a medium-bodied red wine. And the richness of the cream begs for high acidity to refresh the palate between bites. Look for a Cru Beaujolais, a wine from one of
the best villages in the Beaujolais area: Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de
Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié, or St-Amour.