Pork Medallions with Apple and Mustard Pan Sauce

Use the Small Fridge Well

2 supper plates with bread · Active 30 min · Total 45 min

A small pork tenderloin can supply a two-person supper without leaving a large joint to chill. Cut it into even medallions, brown them briefly, then let apple and onion soften in the same pan. Mustard and a modest splash of cream finish the sauce. A slice of bread on each plate collects the juices, avoiding a second saucepan of potatoes when the galley and fridge are already busy.

Jump to ingredients

Pork medallions with apple-mustard sauce and crusty bread.

Even thickness matters more than identical outlines

The tail of a tenderloin is thinner than its center. Fold that thin end over itself or pair two small end pieces when portioning so they cook at a similar pace to the broad medallions. Avoid pounding them into very thin escalopes. The recipe depends on pieces about an inch thick, which can brown outside while staying tender through the center. Use a thermometer and the required rest rather than cutting every piece open to guess.

The sauce cooks during the rest

Put the cooked pork on a clean plate, not the raw-meat board, and cover loosely. The onion and apple go into the same pan with a spoonful of stock to lift any browned residue. Keep the heat moderate so that residue flavors the sauce without turning black. Apple slices should soften while retaining their shape. Cream and mustard enter at the end, where they need a gentle warm-through rather than a fierce rolling boil.

A small purchase reduces the next-day puzzle

Choose a quantity close to the recipe and keep raw pork sealed below ready-to-eat food in the refrigerator. If the package is larger, make a safe plan for the remainder before setting out; a full fridge should not force raw meat onto a counter. Serve the medallions directly from the pan with a share of apple, onion and sauce. The bread is part of this meal’s quantities, not an unspecified extra that has to be found after the stove is off.

Ingredients

  • 10 1/2 oz pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into six 1-inch (2.5 cm) medallions (300 g)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (10 ml)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (0.5 g)
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced (100 g)
  • 1 crisp apple, cored and cut into thin wedges (150 g prepared weight)
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock (120 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (15 g)
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream (45 ml)
  • 2 large slices crusty bread (100 g total), to serve

Set out

10-inch (25 cm) skillet, Instant-read thermometer, Clean holding plate, Separate raw-meat board

Allergens

Milk, Mustard, Wheat; check stock for other allergens. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook medallions for about 3–4 minutes per side, turning as needed, until the centers reach 145°F/63°C. Transfer to a clean plate and rest for at least 3 minutes. Never return cooked pork to its raw-meat plate.
  2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and 2 tablespoons of the stock to the pan, scraping up browned residue. Cook for 3 minutes. Add apple and the remaining stock and simmer for 5–7 minutes until apple and onion are tender.
  3. Reduce to low and stir in mustard and cream. Simmer gently for 1–2 minutes until the sauce lightly coats a spoon. Add any juices from the clean pork plate.
  4. Return the rested medallions briefly to the sauce to warm for 30–60 seconds. Serve three per person with apple, onion and sauce, plus one bread slice each.

A clean holding plate is part of the setup

Put it out before handling raw pork. It gives the cooked medallions a safe resting place while the skillet becomes the sauce pan.

A useful detail

The pork needs both a 145°F/63°C endpoint and a 3-minute rest. Its safe endpoint does not apply to ground pork or poultry.

Another way

  • Replace apple with firm pear at the same prepared weight, cooking just until tender.
  • Use wholegrain mustard instead of Dijon at the same weight for a more textured sauce.

Keep it well

Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days. Reheat pork and sauce to 165°F/74°C, adding a splash of water if needed; it may be firmer after reheating. Keep bread dry and separate. Raw pork must remain refrigerated until cooking.

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