Pork Medallions with Apple Cider Sauce

Serves: 4
Time: 1 hour
Source: Serge Dansereau's French Kitchen via Gourmet Chick


2 x 400g skinless pork fillets/chopped pork loin trimmed of fat
2 tbsp olive oil
4 apples peeled, cored and quartered
100g butter
1 tbsp sugar
300ml apple cider
2 tbsp plain flour
300ml pouring cream
2 tbsp chopped sage

Notes:  Use your larger frying pan for the pork not the apples.  Keep the sides simple, the pork and sauce should carry the dish - e.g. mash, roast potatoes, asparagus, cabbage, peas, broccoli.  Bash the medallions more than expected, or they will contract in the pan when cooking.  Don't throw away the syrup the apples cooked in or the liquid in the pork pan, use this to fry cabbage in, it's delicious.

1.  Get the ingredients out, prep the apples.

2.  Heat half the oil and half the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat.  Add the apples and cook for 15 mins, reducing the heat once they start to brown.  Add the sugar and caramelise for another 5-10 mins until golden and glazed then remove and set aside.  Put the apple cider in the pan over high heat and cook until reduced by half.

3.  While the apples are cooking, cut the pork into about 8 small medallions of about 100g each.  Working with one medallion at a time, place between two sheets of plastic wrap that have been lightly drizzled with the remaining olive oil.  Use a small, heavy frying pan to pound the medallions so they are flattened and thinned.

4.  Season the medallions with salt and pepper and dust with the flour.  Heat the rest of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Cook the pork for about 4 mins then turn and cook the other side for 4 mins until cooked but still slightly pink.  Remove the pork, set aside.  Repeat if batches were required.  Wipe the pan clean with paper towels - the tasty brown bits are indeed tasty, but they dirty the light sauce.

5.  Meanwhile, prep potatoes and veg, last step takes 10 minutes so time accordingly.

6.  Add the reduced cider, cream and sage to the pan and bring to a simmer.  Season with salt and pepper and stir then return the pork to the pan and cook for 5 mins.  Add the apples and bring back to a simmer just before serving.