Center Cut Pork Chops with a Dijon Cream Sauce

This recipe is so simple, and it makes terrific use of whatever herbs are ready in your home herb boxes or that you can find in your local grocery's produce section. I created this dish for my daughters using my favorite herb, tarragon, with a little marjoram thrown in for good measure. Serve it with some mashed sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus.

• 4 - 6 ounce boneless pork loin chops
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1 clove fresh garlic, crushed
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken or pork stock (see below for chicken stock recipe)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs like tarragon, lavender, marjoram, sage, or rosemary.

Salt and pepper the pork loins. Heat a sturdy saucepan over medium high heat, add butter and place the cuts of pork in the pan. The pan should be hot enough to hear the pork sizzle, but not so hot that it smokes. Cook the chops 3-4 minutes on each side or until brown and cooked through. Pork chops should still be tender to the touch and slightly pink in the middle when they are done, not cooked through to the consistency of shoe leather. Remove the pork and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and cook for a minute (scraping up the flavorful bits on the bottom of the pan).

Add the garlic and sauté for 30 additional seconds. Do not burn the garlic! Turn the heat to high and add the wine. Let the mixture go almost dry in the pan. Add the stock and let that reduce by half. Add the cream and the mustard. Cook until the sauce is thickened and stir in the fresh herbs. Finally, add the pork chops to warm in the sauce before plating.

Serves 4

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