Pork T-Bone with Double-Mustard Hollandaise

Serves 2
Prep time: 1hr

Beautifully flavoursome sirloin, juicy tenderloin. The lemony double-mustard hollandaise sounds complicated and fiddly, but really isn’t – and is particularly great with pork. Bags of acidity and bite to cut through the richness of the chop but delicious and comforting enough to pour all over your potatoes.

The sauce can be made in advance, but needs very careful reheating; see the recipe for some guidelines.

1. Place a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the butter and, without stirring it, let it come up to what looks like a gentle ‘simmer’. Skimming off any white milk solids that float to the top; gentle tilting the pan towards you can help this process. Some solids will sink to the bottom; don’t worry about these, you can discard them later in the process. Keep the butter in the pan so that it stays warm until you make the sauce, but don’t be tempted to stir or agitate it as this will disturb the solids.
2. You’ll need a heatproof medium-sized bowl that can sit stably over a medium saucepan. Half-fill the pan with water and bring to a gentle simmer – don’t place the bowl over it yet.  Add the egg yolks, lemon juice and Dijon mustard to the bowl and stir well to combine.
3. To sear the chop, warm a large frying pan over a very high heat. Pat the chops dry with kitchen paper. Using tongs, hold the chops fat-side down in the hot pan for 2 minutes, then lay them on their side. Sear for 2 minutes, then turn over, then repeat so that they’ve had 8 minutes in total. If you like your pork ever-so-slightly pink, remove from the pan now. Cook for a further 2 minutes per side if not. Remove from the pan to a warm plate and allow to rest while you finish the sauce.
4. While the chop is resting, finish the sauce. If you’re worried about overcooking the eggs, place 1-2 ice cubes and 1 tbsp cold water in a small bowl next to where you’re working. Place the bowl over the simmering water and cook for three minutes stirring constantly so that the eggs don’t scramble – add an ice cube if they start to turn. Bring the bowl away from the heat and place onto a damp teatowel to hold it still. The clarified butter should still be quite warm from the clarifying process; being careful to leave behind the milk solids, add the butter in a very thin thin drizzle, whisking constantly – you may need to pause every few seconds to ensure the butter is incorporated before adding more, otherwise the sauce will split. When all the butter is incorporated and you have a thick, glossy sauce, add the wholegrain mustard and a big pinch of salt. Taste for seasoning, add a little more salt if you wish, then serve immediately.
5.  If you’d like to make the sauce in advance, follow steps 1, 2 and 4 to make the sauce. Let the sauce cool for 20 minutes, then cover with cling film, pressing down with your fingers so that the cling film resting on the surface of the sauce. Refrigerate until needed and use within 24 hours. To reheat, add a tablespoon of water to the sauce and stir well until loosened and smooth. Place the bowl over simmering water and warm gently, stirring constantly – do not let the sauce split, which it will if you heat it too hot or too fast. Serve immediately. You can risk a quick 10 or 15-second blast in the microwave instead, but on your head be it!

2 pork T-bones
150g butter
2 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp wholegrain mustard