German Pork Medallions with Mushrooms in Cognac-Cream Sauce (Schweinemedaillons)

Posted by Olga at The Cutting Board

This elegant German dish is served at Baden-Baden?s Badischer Hof, a 450-year old monastery turned hotel. The mushrooms used were fresh Black Forest mushrooms (Steinpilze), rarely available here, alas, except in dried form (shops specializing in German foods carry them). You can, of course, substitute our familiar white mushrooms with good results. Serve with boiled new potatoes or, better yet, with homemade Spaetzle.

Serves 4-6

1 to 1 1/4 pounds fresh pork tenderloin, sliced
    1/2 inch thick (1/2 kg)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup Cognac
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup beef broth or consomm?
1 pound mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced thin
1/4 cup finely minced shallots
1 tablespoon dried minced Black Forest mushroom (optional)
1 pint half-and-half cream
To taste?salt and freshly ground black pepper

Brown the pork in 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat; remove to a shallow baking dish, cover with foil and keep warm. Deglaze the skillet with Cognac or good brandy and wine, add broth and reduce by two-thirds; pour over the pork, re-cover and set in a warm oven 250 degrees F.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the skillet and saut? mushrooms and shallots 3 to 5 minutes over moderate heat until juices ooze out; add dried mushrooms, if you like, and saut? about 5 minutes longer or until mushrooms are limp and juices have evaporated. Stir pork medallions (and all their liquid) back into skillet, add half and half and simmer over medium low heat 10 to 15 minutes until cream reduces by half and is the consistency of a thin white sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Source: Jean Anderson Cooks