Fresh-pork Cutlets à la Charcutiere

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rimmed half-sheet pan, about 13 by 18 inches (33 by 46 cm)
• •Wire rack that fits inside the sheet pan
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Small 1-quart (1-liter) saucepan
• •Warmed oval platter and small serving bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Set gentle heat

   Heat the oven grill, or broiler, on low and set a rack 7 to 8 inches (18 to 20 cm) below the element. Fit a wire rack inside a rimmed sheet pan. Cut the gherkins into short julienne, matchstick-shaped strips about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, and keep them aside. Warm the potato purée gently in its own covered pan or bowl.

2. 2

   Butter and crumb

   Pat the cutlets completely dry, then season both sides with the salt and pepper. Divide the melted butter between two bowls before the raw pork touches it. Dip each cutlet lightly into the first half, letting the excess fall away, then sprinkle both sides evenly with the fine raspings. Press only enough to make the crumbs adhere; this is a fine coat, not a heavy casing. Set the cutlets on the wire rack and discard any dipping butter left in the first bowl.

   If the crumbs gather in wet clumps, too much butter remained on the meat. Brush the clumps away, let the excess butter drain, and sprinkle again with a lighter hand.
3. 3

   Grill and baste

   Grill the cutlets gently for 5 minutes, until the upper crumbs begin to turn butter-gold. Turn them, spoon over a little of the reserved clean butter, and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and baste once more, then continue in short intervals until the crumbs are evenly bronze and the pork reaches 145°F (63°C) at its thickest point, usually 12 to 16 minutes altogether. If the crumbs darken before the pork is nearly cooked, don't force the grill. Ça se rattrape: switch the oven to 350°F (175°C) and finish the cutlets on the same rack, where the center can catch up without scorching the coat. Rest them for at least 3 minutes.

4. 4

   Finish the sauce

   While the pork rests, warm the Robert Sauce (No. 52) in a small saucepan over the gentlest heat, stirring until it is fluid and glossy. Do not let it boil. Fold in the short gherkin julienne just before plating, which changes Robert into Sauce Charcutière without dulling the gherkins. If the sauce tightens while it waits, lift it from the heat and stir in hot water a teaspoon at a time until it once again coats the back of a spoon.

5. 5

   Form the circle

   Arrange the four cutlets in a loose circle on a warmed platter, with the bone ends pointing outward. Pour the Sauce Charcutière into the center rather than over the cutlets, because the fine buttered crumbs should reach the table intact. Spoon the warm potato purée into a separate small serving bowl and shape it into a neat dome, the home equivalent of the book's timbale. Bring both dishes to the table at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for fresh, uncured pork loin cutlets of even thickness, preferably with the bone attached. Thin cutlets cook before the crumbs have time to bronze; very thick ones leave the coat waiting dangerously close to burnt.
• •Use fine dry white breadcrumbs, not coarse flakes. Rub larger crumbs through a sieve if necessary. The source calls them fine raspings, and their small size is what allows butter, crumb, and pork to finish together.
• •The 285 ml of Robert Sauce (No. 52) and 28 g of gherkins are exactly half the book's sauce quantities for eight to ten cutlets. That gives four servings a generous central pool without drowning the crumbed meat.
• •If your broiler has no low setting, place the pan farther from the element and watch the crumbs, not the clock. Gentle grilling is not timid grilling; it is how the coat bronzes before the pork dries.
• •Pour a light red with enough freshness for the mustard and gherkins, such as a young Beaujolais, or choose a dry Chenin Blanc. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Robert Sauce (No. 52) through its own entry up to three days ahead, cool it promptly, and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Reheat it gently and add the gherkins only at the last moment.
• •The gherkins may be cut into short julienne and the breadcrumbs measured a day ahead. Keep the gherkins covered and chilled, and the crumbs dry at room temperature.
• •The cutlets may be seasoned, buttered, and crumbed up to one hour ahead. Refrigerate them uncovered on the wire rack, then let them stand out for 15 minutes while the broiler heats.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 440g)