Four or five years ago my sorority alumnae group in NYC decided to put together our own cookbook. One of the recipes in this book, Pork Medallions with Mustard-Chive Sauce, has become a fairly regular occurrence at the dinner table over the years. I have no idea where Jen–the woman who submitted the recipe–came up with this, but it’s really good. I made it last week and served it with herbed orzo and grilled asparagus. As with pretty much everything I cook, I made some adjustments. I use boneless pork chops, cubed, rather than pork tenderloin. I honestly think that’s just because I had pork chops on hand when I wanted to make this, and it stuck.

Pork Medallions with Mustard-Chive Sauce

This recipe serves about 4 people, or you can halve it like I do.

Ingredients:
2 1-pound pork tenderloins, each cut crosswise into 6 slices (or 4 pork chops, cubed)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 2 medium)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream (I use sour cream)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (which I often leave out if I don’t have it on hand)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard (Jen’s recipe calls for Dijon, but I will put whole grain mustard on anything. Seriously. And then I lick the spoon.)

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Saute until browned and cooked, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer pork to platter and cover loosely with foil.

Whilen the pork cooks, chop the leeks and clean them well. **I use a strainer to make sure all the pieces are broken up. I learned the hard way that dirt gets trapped in between all the layers of the leeks.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Add the leeks and cook until beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Add the broth and wine. Boil about 4 minutes, until mixture is reduced to 1 and 2/3 cups (I just reduce until it looks thicker).

Whisk in the mustard and sour cream. Stir in chives and tarragon, and season with salt and pepper.

Add pork to the sauce and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until cooked through.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve.