Noisettes de porc aux pruneaux is the Loire Valley’s most celebrated pork dish — a preparation that marries the region’s premium pork with its dried plum tradition (pruneaux de Tours, distinct from Agen, made from the Perdrigon violet plum) in a cream-and-white-wine sauce of remarkable elegance. The dish crystallizes the Loire’s culinary philosophy: fruit with meat, cream without heaviness, and wine as a sauce foundation rather than merely a beverage. Noisettes (thick, boneless pork loin medallions, 3cm thick, tied into rounds) are seasoned and seared in butter over high heat for 2 minutes per side until golden. The pork is removed and the pan deglazed with 150ml dry Vouvray. The pruneaux (12-16, soaked for 2 hours in warm Vouvray until plump) and their soaking wine are added to the pan with a bouquet garni and simmered for 5 minutes. The pork returns, the pan is covered, and everything braises gently for 12-15 minutes at 160°C until the pork reaches 63°C internal. The pork and prunes are plated; the braising liquid is reduced by half, then 200ml crème fraîche is stirred in and reduced to sauce consistency — a glossy, ivory-gold sauce with visible prune pieces. A few drops of red currant jelly stirred into the finished sauce add a subtle sweetness and gloss. The dish represents a lineage stretching back to medieval French cuisine, when dried fruit and meat combinations were standard. The Loire has preserved this tradition while the rest of France abandoned it, and this dish is the reason.
Pork loin noisettes (3cm thick, tied). Sear in butter, deglaze with dry Vouvray. Prunes soaked 2 hours in Vouvray. Braise together 12-15 minutes, pork to 63°C. Reduce braising liquid, finish with crème fraîche. Red currant jelly for gloss and sweetness.
The pruneaux de Tours (Perdrigon violet variety) have a more acidic, less sweet character than Agen prunes — if unavailable, add a squeeze of lemon to the sauce when using Agen. For a more refined presentation, deglaze with both Vouvray and a splash of white port (a Tourangelle touch). The crème fraîche should be full-fat and at room temperature for smooth incorporation. This dish pairs perfectly with Chinon rouge — the Cabernet Franc’s herbaceous freshness cuts the cream.
Overcooking the pork (63°C internal maximum — it’s pork loin, not shoulder). Not soaking the prunes long enough (remain hard and don’t integrate with the sauce). Using a sweet wine (the Vouvray should be sec or demi-sec, not moelleux). Making the sauce too thick (should coat a spoon lightly, not paste). Using Agen prunes when Tours prunes are available (different variety, different flavor).
La Cuisine Tourangelle — Emile Couet; Larousse Gastronomique