The more demure sister of onions and garlic, leeks are as elegant as they are versatile.
Leeks add flavor to stocks. It serves as the base of cock-a-leekie soup, potato soups and vichyssoise. Boiled, it turns soft and mild in taste. Fried it becomes crunchy. Because of its mild taste it can be served raw in salads.
“Where most other onions would overtake a recipe, the lovely leek becomes a gentle companion, quietly enhancing the finished dish,” says Brooke Baker, co-owner of Chanterelle in Edmonds.
Chanterelle is serving this pork loin dish with Normande sauce all month. The sauce makes the pork shine. Baker says it’s best served with risotto and fresh steamed vegetables.
Pork Medallions Normande
Serves 2
Slice 3/4 pound of pork loin into two 6 oz. portions, brown them in butter or your oil of choice, about 3 minutes per side, and set them in a single layer in a 250-degree oven while you make the sauce.
For the Sauce Normande
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 leek, white part only, sliced
1 apple, peeled and sliced
½ tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Calvados (or any apple brandy)
¼ cup chicken stock
¼ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Melt butter in skillet. Add leek, apple, sage and rosemary and saute until nicely browned.
2. Add Calvados and chicken stock and deglaze pan.
3. Simmer, reducing liquid by about a third.
4. Add cream and reduce again to desired consistency.
To serve, divide pork between plates and spoon apples, leek and sauce over the top.
Garnish with fresh sage leaves (or rosemary branch).
Recipe courtesy of Brooke Baker, co-owner, Chanterelle, Edmonds.
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