Elevated pan fried pork chops! It’s not so much HOW to make a Dijon au jus, but WHY. Let’s just agree that a pan sauce greatly enhances cooked meats and poultry. Kind of like gravy, just milder, a bit thinner, and drawing attention to the subtle nuances of the protein it will be served with. In this method, the pork chops are cooked and plated and covered tightly to allow them to rest and their juices to redistribute. Ham stock is added to the still hot skillet and gently heated. Now we get busy scraping up any fond (browned bits) that has developed from cooking the pork. This is where the concentrated flavor is, and we are going to use it to our gastronomic advantage! By adding some light cream and Dijon mustard to the ham stock, the fond begins to melt as the thickening liquid reduces with heat. Any juices accumulating on the dish the chops are resting on is now returned to the pan. After simmering and reducing slightly, the heat is turned off, and the au jus rests undisturbed for 5 minutes to further thicken. I like to return the chops to the pan and nestle them in the au jus, but it may also be spooned over pork the chops once they’ve been plated. What is already a juicy double cut chop is given an edge with the Dijon au Jus in that it continues to keep the meat moist, while providing a mild, simple, and creamy gravy that coats the meat. It pairs very well with both rice and mashed potatoes and has never met a noodle it did not like!