Dinner in a Hurry: Recipe

Making dinner is clearly a passion of mine. But obviously the point is to make a meal that is innovative and tasty and with two children (4 and 2) naturally there is a need to deliver it quickly. Trying to fit that set of criteria onto one plate is...well, a tall order!

Recently I read through the September issue of Bon Appetit mag and I saw a spread on hazelnuts. I have an awesome recipe for a flourless hazelnut cake that I make at Passover so I usually have a batch of nuts in the cabinet. I must have reviewed a recipe in that magazine that sounded good and the basic components must have been committed to memory because I made a quick dinner last night and when I went back to the recipe in the magazine I discovered it was very similar.

Regardless, there were enough edits to make it my own and I will say that the sauce was wonderful. Full of flavor and the perfect consistency. It was really well done. The pork I used was perfect in texture and cut but I over salted it - so don't try that at home. The slightly heavy hand with the salt made the pork and the sauce compete in your mouth. What follows is a corrected version.

Pork Cutlets with Hazelnut Cream Sauce
1 1/4 lb. thinly sliced pork cutlets
3 tbsp. butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup hazelnuts, lightly ground
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
salt and pepper

In a large frying pan, melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Add about 4 pork cutlets, do not crowd the pan, and lightly salt and pepper each one. Cook pork about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Turn once the first side begins to brown. Remove and place on a plate. Repeat with next batch.

Add in the remaining tablespoon of butter and then add in the shallot. Pour in the collected juices from the plate the cutlets are sitting on. Next saute the shallot until golden and soft, but do not burn, about 3-4 minutes. Raise the heat to near-high and add in the brandy; allow it to bubble and scrape up the bits. Then add in the heavy cream and allow it to come to a boil for about 2 minutes, until it becomes thick. Add in the nuts and mix well. Then add in the parsley. Spoon over the pork and serve.