Pork Schnitzel with a Mustard Beer Sauce

Schnitzel is a traditional German entrée that can be eaten as is or served with different sauces. This one pairs a mustard beer sauce. Cornflakes are being used to dredge the pork, but another good option would be crushed pretzels. Round out the meal with Sautéed Red Cabbage and Caramelized Onions as shown. Another great addition is Simple Späetzle or boiled potatoes. Ingredient amounts will serve 4. Adjust ingredient amounts to accommodate the number of people serving.

Ingredients

Schnitzel
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
4 pork tenderloin cutlets about 1 pound (purchase or pound to scaloppini style about a half inch thick)
3 cups of cornflakes (measured before crushing into crumbs, for finer crumbs use a food processor or blender)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper about 1/2 teaspoon of each
1/2 cup of egg beaters or 2 eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
Mustard Beer Sauce
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoons of shallots minced
1 cup of Oktoberfest beer or other amber beer
2 cups of beef broth
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper about 1/2 teaspoon of each
1/2 cup of heavy cream
4 teaspoons of grainy German or Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1/4 cup of water

Technique

In a large skillet add butter and melt over medium high heat. Add shallots and sauté for about 2 – 3 minutes. Add beer and deglaze the pan. Add broth and salt and pepper and reduce sauce by half about 10 minutes. Whisk in mustard and cream. Make a thickening agent by mixing cornstarch and water. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat and gradually whisk into sauce until slightly thickened. Not all of it may be needed. The thickening agent is optional if the sauce has thickened to your desired consistently.

Crush corn flakes using a food processor, blender or add corn flakes to a large Ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush. Make sure that bag doesn’t pop open in the process. Very tiny air holes will aid in this process. Crushing the corn flakes usually will need to be done in batches. Place the crumbs in a large shallow dish or plate along with salt and pepper and mix. Whisk eggs in a large shallow dish or add egg beaters. Coat pork with the egg mixture and dredge in the cornflake mixture and sear in a preheated large cast iron skillet or regular skillet over medium high heat. Cook pork on both sides until crispy and browned about 3 minutes per side. Cooking times will vary on how thin the pork is. Make sure no pink remains in the middle. Remove the pork. Serve family style or plate as shown.

Suggested Beverage

Try Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest Amber Märzen (Germany), Samuel Adams® Octoberfest (Boston MA), Spaten Oktoberfest UR-Märzen (Germany), Flensburger Brauerei Gold Premium Lager (Germany), Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken (Germany) or Pierre Sparr® Pinot Blanc Réserve (Alsace, France).

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