Pork Schnitzel

How to prepare pork schnitzel

1. The sauce: put the cream with the lemon thyme and peeled garlic (but left whole, just lightly crushed with the flat of a knife) in a small saucepan. Place over low heat and warm slowly. Don't let the cream boil too vigorously - there's a risk it will curdle. Once hot, leave the sauce on heat for another 3 minutes to infuse well. Meanwhile, dissolve the cornstarch in very little cold water and pour it into the sauce. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until you feel it thicken slightly (another 2 minutes or so). Season the sauce with salt and black pepper. Remove the sauce from heat, remove the aromatics and pour it into a glass/sauce boat. Once cooled, it can be stored in the refrigerator.
2. The tenderloin should be larger and thicker. Remove the white membranes and fat. Cut off the thinner ends of the tenderloin so you have a piece of uniform thickness. You'll use the ends for another recipe. Cut the center piece into 1.5cm thick slices. I got 9 slices from my tenderloin.
3. Place each slice on the work surface, cover with a plastic bag and pound with a meat mallet until you have a thin slice of approximately 3mm (don't pound them super thin as they'll dry out when frying). When pounding the schnitzels, start from the center and work outward. To see if the schnitzels are evenly pounded, hold them up to the window - you'll see the differences better.
4. Season each piece of meat with salt and pepper on both sides. Also sprinkle with finely chopped rosemary and thyme leaves. The easiest way is to take a little of the herbs and massage them into the meat - this way they'll be evenly distributed. If using dried thyme, grind it in a mortar until powdered and sprinkle it along with the salt and pepper.
5. Cover the prepared meat and keep refrigerated until needed. I like my schnitzels warm, so I prepare them in advance and fry them just before eating. Either way, the seasoned schnitzels will benefit from the time in the refrigerator - they'll absorb the flavors better.
7. When ready to cook, prepare 3 deep plates: one with flour, one with beaten eggs and one with panko breadcrumbs. Take each piece of meat, dredge through the flour and shake off the excess. Then pass the meat through the beaten egg, letting excess drip off. Finally, coat the meat in panko so it's well covered.
8. Heat a thin layer of oil in a wide pan. When the oil is very hot, reduce heat to medium-low. Fry the schnitzels in batches (as many as fit without crowding) for 2-3 minutes per side (until nicely browned).
9. Remove the schnitzels to paper towels to drain excess grease.
10. Serve the schnitzels warm with noisette potatoes (I bought them frozen and prepared according to package instructions). Pour sauce next to the potatoes and generously sprinkle with chives.

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