Ingredients

Step by step

1. Preheat the grill to high. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, lidded frying pan. Add the sliced onions with 50ml of the beef stock, cover and cook over a fairly high heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the thyme leaves or dried thyme, sugar and bicarbonate of soda (this is a trick that helps the onions caramelise more quickly) and continue to cook at the same heat, stirring every now and then, until completely softened and caramelised; around 10-15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, rub the remaining 1 teaspoon oil onto the pork steaks and season. Heat a separate frying pan and cook the pork steaks over a medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking. Set aside on a plate. Prepare a medium saucepan of salted boiling water, or wipe out the same pan and use it again.
3. Stir the flour into the onions and cook for 1-2 minutes. Gradually stir in the rest of the stock to thicken into a sauce. Add the browned pork to the pan, spoon over some of the saucy onions and top with slices of Gruyère. Briefly grill until the cheese is melted (protect the pan handle if necessary).
4. Plunge the Tenderstem into the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, or until just tender, then drain. Top the French onion pork steaks with a few extra thyme leaves and serve with the Tenderstem. Serve with thinly sliced crusty baguette for mopping up the sauce.
   Tip

   Using pork loin steaks rather than pork chops reduces the saturated fat by around half.