Pork Schnitzel & Cherry Jam
Cook Time: ~20 Minutes
Pork chops, beaten until they are thin, smothered in Dijon mustard, coated in butter-fried breadcrumbs, and stuffed with smoked ham and Gruyère. On its own, a great pork schnitzel is a delight. While it may sound like a peculiar accompaniment, pair this with a black cherry jam and smear it across every forkful of schnitzel. Black cherries, the sweeter cousin of the sour cherry, balance out the salty, sour and smokey flavours of the ham, Gruyère, and dijon in a magnificent way.
On this occasion, I threw in a side of chilli oil yellow courgettes; largely because they were taking up space in the fridge.
Serves: 2-4
Prep: ~10 minutes
Cook: ~10 minutes
Ingredients
Four pork loin steaks
Gruyère cheese ~200g
Smoked ham slices
Two eggs
Black cherry jam
Dijon mustard
A bunch of flat-leaf parsley
Plan flour
Breadcrumbs ~200g (panko preferably)
Butter
Olive oil
Notes
Breadcrumbs: I use gluten-free cornflakes because my partner is gluten-free. Otherwise, use panko breadcrumbs. If you are gluten-free, crush the cornflakes in a bag or using a pestle and mortar and they work just fine.
Yellow courgettes: If you’d like to recreate these, slice the courgettes lengthwise and thinly. Throw into a bowl, add a generous lashing of salt and extra virgin olive oil and chilli flakes. Lay them out separately on a baking tray, and cook in the oven at 200°C for ~10 minutes or until they are soft and almost crisped on the sides.
Equipment
One medium frying pan
A large mixing bowl
Mise En Place
Slice the pork loin steaks in half (crosswise) and beat until thin. Season. Use a rolling pin if you need to.
Chop the flat-leaf parsley.
Slice the Gruyère thinly.
Beat your eggs and make a station for your pork coating by placing the beaten eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls.
Ensure you season the flour with salt and pepper.
The Cook
Take a large mixing bowl, throw in your pork loin steaks, and add a few tablespoons of Dijon mustard. Coat those suckers until they are yellow. Like you are making sandwiches, place one pork loin down, add a layer of Gruyère followed by a layer of smoked ham, another layer of Gruyère, and then a pork loin on top. Repeat this until you have four complete schnitzels. Press down on each schnitzel with your palms to ensure everything is tight.
Next, coat each schnitzel in flour first, followed by the beaten egg, and then the breadcrumbs. Take a frying pan, and gently heat a knob of butter with some olive oil until the butter is melted. Once the butter and oil are gently simmering place down the schnitzel and cook for ~5 minutes on each side until the meat is cooked and the breadcrumb coating is golden brown.
To serve, sprinkle over a handful of chopped parsley and add a generous dollop of black cherry jam. I like taking a fork of schnitzel and smearing a coating of black cherry jam over it using my knife. Enjoy.
If you attempt this dish, let me know how it goes, and if you variate the recipe in any way. This newsletter relies upon word of mouth, so if you know someone who would enjoy this publication please share it.
Thanks for reading,
Conor