• 2 medium (400g each) pork fillets
• Salt and milled pepper Olive oil
• Knob of butter

CREAM SAUCE

• 1 shallot or ½ small onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) brandy (optional)
• Knob of butter
• Leaves from a sprig of thyme
• ½ cup (125ml) chicken or pork stock
• 1 cup (250ml) cream
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) cornflour

* Add these ingredients to the basic cream sauce for a variation:

PEPPER SAUCE

• 2 teaspoons (10ml) black pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) green peppercorns

MUSTARD SAUCE

• 2 teaspoons (10ml) Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) wholegrain mustard

MUSHROOM SAUCE

• 200g chopped mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (both sautéed in butter first)

Season the pork fillets all over with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the fillets, turning them as they brown. Just before the end of cooking, add the butter to the pan and continue frying and turning the meat in the buttery juices until well browned and glossy and cooked to your liking.

Remove the meat and set aside to rest in a warm place.

Add the shallot or onion to the pan and sauté until soft. Carefully pour in the brandy (or use a little water) and deglaze the pan, scraping any meaty bits off the base to combine with the sauce. (There may be some flames burning off the alcohol.)

Add all the remaining sauce ingredients (except the cornflour) as well as the ingredients from your chosen flavour profile*. Simmer sauce until it reduces by half.

Mix the cornflour with a little water and stir into the sauce until it thickens. Season sauce well with salt and pepper.

Serve the pork fillet sliced, with sauce spooned over.

WHY NOT…

… make the pepper sauce Asian. Replace the cream with coconut cream and add a tablespoon of your favourite Thai curry paste.

… add 1 tablespoon miso paste to the mushroom sauce for an extra hit of umami.