Mustard Pork Chops

You will often find mustard pork chops on a French bistro menu. This is a very easy French recipe that can be ready to eat in less then 30 minutes with minimal effort. You should use Dijon mustard or another smooth and spicy mustard to prepare mustard pork chops. Cooking the mustard mellows its strong aroma, and you are left with just the great taste.

The Mustard Plant

In France, different parts of the mustard plant are eaten:

• Mustard greens are sometimes served in a salad or they are cooked and used like spinach.
• Mustard flowers are used in sauces and also for decoration.
• You will find the grains, when they are not ground up to make mustard, included in jars of pickles.

The mustard plant comes in three basic varieties (white, brown, and black), all of which you will find growing in France and used to make various mustards. Black mustard seeds are usually considered to be the strongest, although the strength of a prepared mustard depends on how it is made and the other ingredients as well.

Prepared Mustards

In fact mustard seeds by themselves are not spicy. It is only when they are ground up and mixed with other ingredients that a reaction occurs which gives mustard its kick.

You've probably heard of and even use Dijon mustard. The city of Dijon in the Bourgogne region has been reputed as the mustard capital of France since as early as the 14th century. However, when a French mustard designates itself as Dijon, it is referring to a particular sort of mustard rather than indicating that the mustard was produced in Dijon itself.

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Types of French Mustard

Here are some of the types of mustard you can find in France:

• Dijon Mustard (Moutarde de Dijon)- Made from finely ground black and brown mustard seed, white wine, salt and pepper. Its smooth and creamy texture is perfect for making sauces.
• Meaux Mustard (Moutarde de Meaux)- Also known as old-fashioned mustard (moutarde à l'ancienne). Here a mixture of black and brown seeds are ground just a bit, and mixed with herbs, spices and vinegar. This mustard is mild and grainy and goes great with cold cuts and other meats.
• Bordeaux Mustard (Moutarde de Bordeaux) - A mix of unshelled white and black mustard seeds mixed with sugar, vinegar, tarragon, and spices. A sweet dark mustard.
• Beaujolais Mustard (Moutarde de Beaujolais) - Made from partly ground seeds and red wine. It has a grainy texture and is reddish colored.
• Red Mustard (Moutarde Rouge)- Made with whole mustard seeds and hot pepper. Needless to say, it's spicy.

You can use any of these mustards to make mustard pork chops, but Dijon mustard is the traditional ingredient. You can also try the same cooking technique with chicken breasts. Just don't let the mustard get into your nose - that's what the French say when you are seeing red.

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Côtes de Porc Sauce Moutarde

• 4 pork chops
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons cream

Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a frying pan on medium heat and add the pork chops. Brown on each side about 2 minutes.

Mix the water into the mustard and pour this on top of the pork chops. Cover and cook on low heat 15 to 20 minutes. Remove pork chops and cook sauce uncovered until reduced by about a half (maybe five minutes). Stir in cream and blend thoroughly.

Pour sauce on pork chops and serve. Goes great with baked potatoes.

Serves 4

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