Pork Milanese with Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce

I love Giada De Laurentis, and both of her shows on Food Network. I was looking for something a bit out of the Creole/Creole-Italian realm, and came across this dish on the Food Network Website:




Here's the start:




Starting with the pork. The recipe calls for pork chops, but I decided to try this with a pork loin instead, sliced into thick medallions:




I took the entire big piece in the back, breaded, fried, and roasted, slicing it up after it was cooked.

Next was the breading, a mixture of Italian bread crumbs, white flour, and a lot of fresh-ground black pepper.




Dip the pork in an egg wash of two eggs and 1/4 cup of milk, then into the flour/breadcrumbs. Add the breaded medallions to a hot frying pan with olive oil and brown them on both sides:




Some of the medallions were a bit thick (deliberately, I like them that way), so I tossed the browned meat in a baking dish and put them in a 350F oven for 15 minutes or so, while prepping the rest of dinner.




To placate my 13-year old while continuing with dinner, I tossed some TGIFriday's frozen cheese sticks in the oven:




It usually works to distract him. :-)

The lemon-caper sauce was very simple. Put the marscapone in a bowl, and thin it down with the mayo and milk. Zest a lemon, add the juice, and the capers. Whisk it all together:





And the finished dish, with sauce on top, and some Zatarain's "New Orleans Rice Pilaf" as a side:






Here's Giada's full recipe. It will be interesting to see how what she does differs from my variations.

Pork Milanese with Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, 2007
See this recipe on air Sunday Apr. 20 at 7:30 AM ET/PT.

Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce:
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup capers, drained and chopped
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pork Milanese:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 thin-cut pork chops

For the Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce: Combine the mascarpone and mayonnaise in a medium bowl. Slowly add the milk, stirring as you go, until all the milk is incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Set aside.

For the Pork Milanese: Combine the flour and the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a shallow dish and stir together. Crack the eggs into another shallow dish and beat until combined. In a third shallow bowl, place the breadcrumbs. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Dip the pork, 1at a time first in the flour, then the eggs, then the bread crumbs. Warm the vegetable in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot place the breaded pork in the pan. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a serving platter and serve with the sauce alongside.