Crisp Pork Cutlets and Egg Noodles with Brussels Sprouts Leaves + Lemon Chocolate Madelines

I had been wanting to make Lemon Chocolate Madelines for awhile! I saw them and instantly tagged the page in the cookbook I received at the Buick event a few weeks back, New American Table by Marcus Samuelsson. I finally made them tonight and I most definitely recommend them! I don't mess around when it comes to baking - I follow every measurement when I'm using someone else's recipe. It's the only way to guarantee perfection. The Chocolate Ganache tops it off and balances so well with the subtle lemon flavor. For dinner, I made Crisp Pork Cutlets with Panko bread crumbs and Egg Noodles with Brussels-Sprouts Leaves. I'm still full!

Capers, Vanilla Beans and Caraway Seed

 I need to somehow start growing Vanilla beans - holy expensive!

Crisp Pork Cutlets:

Sauce

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 Tsp Caraway Seeds

1/2 Tsp Spicy Brown Mustard

4-8 Pork Cutlets

3 Large Eggs

1 Cup Flour

3 Cups Panko bread crumbs

1 cup oil (Safflower oil is best)

The Sour Cream, Spicy Mustard and Caraway Seeds are mixed to make the sauce for the pork. After you make the sauce, get an assembly line ready for the Pork. In order: Flour, Whisked Eggs and then the Panko Bread Crumbs. (Make sure to salt and pepper the flour mixture)

Pork ready

You're going to get a good coat of flour on the Pork, then dip in the egg mixture and then quickly place into the Panko bread crumbs and coat generously. Ready for the pan!

Flip after about 2-3 minutes, or until you get a nice golden brown crispiness to it

Egg Noodles with Sauteed Brussels Sprouts Leaves

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts

8 ounce Egg Noodles

Olive Oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Capers

About 1/4 Cup Chopped fresh Parsley

Finely grated lemon zest (About 1 lemon)

Salt and Pepper

Some water (For use during cooking the Brussels Sprouts)

Brussels Sprouts - "De-Leafed"

Halve the Brussels Sprouts and then cut off the cores. Pull the leaves apart and place them in a bowl. Boil the egg noodles (should take about 10-12 minutes)

Then in a pan, add the Olive Oil and sautee the minced garlic for a few minutes before adding the Brussels Sprout leaves. Add a little water to soften them up and cook for about 5 minutes. Add your cooked egg noodles and the butter. Easy as pie! Toss in the Parsley and Capers at the very end, as well with the salt and pepper to taste. I did all this and then threw the noodle dish into the microwave to keep warm while I quickly fried up my pork.

Egg Noodles cooking

I liked the way everything turned out. The pork was crispy on the outside and savory on the inside! The sauce is perfect with the Pork too. (I'm a sucker for condiments) The egg noodles were great and I saved the remaining Pork for Tonkatsu some other time. (Japanese deep fried pork cutlets)

Lemon wedges for optional Lemon wedging

Crisp Pork Cutlets and Egg Noodles with Brussels Sprouts Leaves

Lemon Chocolate Madelines (Recipe for 25-30 Madelines)

Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon

2 and 1/2 Tsp Honey

12 Tbsp of butter

1 Vanilla Bean

4 Large Eggs

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar

1 and 1/4 Cup Unbleached All-Pupose flour

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Salt

Chocolate Ganache (Recipe follows)

Chocolate Ganache

1/4 Cup Heavy Cream

2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar

4 Tbsp Butter

8 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate

Bring lemon juice + zest to a boil. Add the honey and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the butter until melted. Split the Vanilla Bean with a sharp knife and scrape the seeds into the pan. Throw away the vanilla bean. Set aside to cool.

Lemon juice with zest and honey boiling

 Whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a bowl. Add half the honey-butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the flour with baking powder and salt, then mix in the remainder of the honey-butter mixture.

Place the mixture into the madeline pans (only filling about 2/3rds) and bake at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Remove them on a rack to cool until they're ready for the Chocolate Ganache.

Smells good!

For the Chocolate Ganache, bring the cream and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and then whisk in the butter and chocolate until it's melted. You'll get a creamy texture perfect for dipping. When the Madelines are cooled and ready, dip them halfway (or however you'd like) in the Chocolate and place on Parchment paper to cool and harden.

They'll be ready to eat in about 15 minutes. Little desserts are deceiving because you're able to eat more while somehow convincing yourself that it's okay because they're small. You've seen how much butter goes into these little suckers - enjoy in moderation! Good luck though because they're little pieces of heaven.

Lemon Chocolate Madelines