Pan Frying 101

When I cook, I tend to do a lot of things in a big pot or 9x13 pan. I often default to this because if I am entertaining, I want to spend time entertaining and not stressing about last minute searing or pan sauce. If I am just cooking for myself, I do a lot of things that take about 15 minutes max to prep a cook-- a piece of filet, an omelet, stir-fry---but once there are numbers involved I start thinking about what I can prep ahead and just stick in the oven, or stir occasionally.   

If you're too busy doing last minute prep, you miss chz plates like this!

The thing is, some of the best flavors come from pan frying. One of my favorite meals from my childhood is pork or chicken cutlets, covered in Italian breadcrumbs, pan-fried (with a side of applesauce).  My mother would make them once every couple weeks and she always says, "it made everyone happy". 

I also have lots of bad memories of pan-frying from when I was learning to cook, college in particular.  Lots of smells of burning, cutlets sticking to and ultimately ruining pans, and biting into raw centers. I've learned however, that as long as you use ENOUGH oil/butter, shake off the excess flour/egg/breadcrumbs, keep the pan hot---but not too hot, pan-frying doesn't have to be so scary, and the results are delicious!

I saw this recipe in Saveur and knew I had to make it.  The picture was beautiful, displaying perfect golden brown crust, and the accompanying article talked about eating this at some cozy restaurant in Switzerland, so I was easily sold. It just seemed so comforting, and with the awful chill and grayness that dominated last week, it was the perfect weeknight treat. 

Beautiful Gold Crust!

The recipe in Saveur said 4 oz of meat per person, so I got a pound of pork chops for 4 people.  The butcher sliced them in half for me, to make them thinner and more like a cutlet, and I stamped them out from there. I don't have a meat tenderizer, so I just beat the shit out of them with a rolling pin (I put the meat between wax paper). I got them down to about a 1/4 of an inch each.  I suggest doing this after a long day at work if you're looking for therapy that doesn't have a $30 co-pay.

Ham and Chz Goodness

Cordon Bleu, serves 4

1 lb. pork cutlets (or chicken)

4 slices Emmantaler cheese

4 piece of thinly sliced ham

1 cup flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup oil

1/2 stick butter

Stamp out cutlets to 1/4 inch thick. Season cutlets generously with salt and pepper. Place cheese and ham in middle of cutlet and roll it up. You could just place the ham and cheese on one side, then fold the cutlet in half; or put the ham and cheese in the center, and fold the cutlet it thirds like a bath towel. Set up your flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs in three plates or bowls. Coat the cutlet in flour, and shake off excess. Then, dip the cutlet it the egg, and shake off the excess again. Finally, coat the egged and floured cutlet (sort of like tarred and feathered) in bread crumbs.  It is important to shake off the excess at all stages, but also make sure you are evenly coating the whole piece of meat with all parts.  I did all of this ahead of time before I went over to S's house so I wouldn't make a total mess of her kitchen.

Heat up the butter and oil in a frying pan over med-high heat. You know your stovetop better than I do, so use you judgement on what temp level you need to set to get the oil/butter hot enough to fry in. I test the heat by dipping a corner of whatever I'm frying into the oil as I think it's ready. When I hear the crackle, I know it's ready. Fry the cutlets for about 5 minutes on each side. I went back and flipped them again after the first 5 on each side to even up the browning because the heat wasn't exactly distributed through the pan and both sides ended up with a side that got less browned. Frying probably took about 12-14 minutes. 

Serve the cutlets with a lemon wedge.  We served ours with a nice green salad and a wild rice pilaf. T fashioned the salad and S made the pilaf. The pilaf was fantastic, and the simple greens complemented the entire meal perfectly. 

The Final Plate!