Mushrooms, Crème Fraiche & Grainy Dijon: A Winning Trio

Inspired by the duo of mushrooms and crème fraiche that is very popular in French Cooking (ie. Velouté de champignons), I wanted to create a sauce that’s just a little more unique, and opted for one of my favorite ingredients in the kitchen – grainy Dijon mustard. The simple addition of grainy mustard in the sauce brings a lovely tang and texture, without being too overpowering.

This is a fairly quick, easy and absolutely delicious recipe to make at this time of the year. It is a perfect weeknight dinner or weekend lunch, especially if you have time to prepare a few sides to serve along with it: white rice, French beans or French peas.

How to make these Pork Chops in Grainy Mustard and Mushroom Sauce

The recipe starts with salting the pork chops 2 hours ahead of time. This allows enough time for the meat to fully absorb the salt, which will result in evenly seasoned and moist pork chops.

The pork chops then get seared in a large fry pan with butter and olive oil, until golden. The chops are then put aside under foil, as you start preparing the sauce. Do not wash the fry pan, we want to use those delicious pork drippings to build the sauce.

For the sauce, cook the onion, garlic and mushroom slices in the pan. Add flour and vegetable stock, followed by crème fraiche (for creaminess) and grainy mustard (for tang and texture). Finally, the pork chops are placed back into the pan and we finish cooking in the sauce. 

My Cooking tips

• Make sure you salt your pork chops beforehand. If you’re interested in knowing more about how salt is used to build and enhance flavor in food (especially for meats), I recommend the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat.
• Cremini mushrooms are lovely in this recipe, but you can opt for other seasonal mushrooms if you want, such as porcini or chanterelles.
• Although it wasn’t easy to find up until a few years ago, Creme fraiche has now become common in grocery stores in Canada and the US. You can usually find it next to sour creams. Some of my favorite brands includes Liberte and Maison Riviera.

I hope you’ll love these Pork Chops in Grainy Mustard and Mushroom Sauce as much as I do. This is a simple yet impressive recipe that is ideal throughout the Fall and Winter, to bring comfort to the table.

You can easily double the quantities to serve it for 8 people. It goes perfectly with a side of rice and/or simple French beans in butter.

You may also like:

• Chicken Marengo 
• Roasted Chicken with Dijon Herb Butter 
• Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
• Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts in Grape Sauce

Pork Chops in Grainy Mustard and Mushroom Sauce

Print Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.8/5

( 10 voted )

Ingredients

4 Bone-in pork chops (300-350g each)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 tbsp (42g) unsalted butter, divided
1 tbsp (15ml) Extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
400g cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 sprigs fresh thyme, stemmed
2 tbsp (16g) all purpose flour
1 ½ cup (375ml) vegetable stock
1/3 cup crème fraiche (100g)  (35-40%MF)
3 tbsp grainy mustard

Instructions

Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.

2 hours before starting cooking, salt rub the pork chops on both sides. Sprinkle with black pepper and leave on the counter.

In large frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon (14g) of butter and 1 tablespoon (15ml) of EVOO over medium-heat. When the butter is melted and foamy, add the pork chops and cook 7-8 minutes on each side. Set aside on a plate and cover with foil. Do not wash/rinse the frying pan.

In the same pan, over medium-heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter (28g). When foamy, add the diced shallots and garlic cloves, and cook for 5 minutes until lightly caramelized. Add the mushroom slices and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are cooked through.

Add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir until the mushrooms are evenly coated in flour and the flour is moist. Add the vegetable stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring well between each addition to avoid lumps. Stir in the crème fraiche and grainy mustard. The sauce should be homogeneous and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt, pepper), if needed.

Place the pork chops back into the pan with the sauce and cook for 5 minutes.

Serve immediately over white rice or French beans.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  Bon Appetit! 

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