In culinary terms, cutlet is a catch-all American word referring to a boneless, evenly-thin sliced piece of meat, sometimes but not always lightly-pounded which cooks quickly -- it is usually coated with flour or breadcrumbs prior to cooking. Escalop (eh-SKAL-ohp) is the French word for a very thin, also sometimes flattened piece of meat, poultry or fish which requires only seconds of sautéing on both sides. Here in the USA, the term for this cut of meat is a scallop. Paillard (PI-yahrd), which is both a verb and a noun in French, means "to pound", and also references a lightly-pounded slice or medallion of meat, poultry or fish. It's done with a flat-sided meat mallet and the intention is not to "smash the meat to smithereens". Pounding should make it wider and thinner, just enough to make it even in thickness and break down the fibers, just enough to tenderize it and make it cook evenly. A medallion refers to a coin-shaped slice of meat (beef, pork, veal, lamb) taken exclusively from the tenderloin -- only tenderloins become medallions.
Oh my ~ Tender Batter-Dipped, Deep-Fried Chicken Cutlets ~:
Try my ~ Tender Steak Scallops w/Herbed Mustard Sauce ~:
Or my ~ Pork Tenderloin Medallions w/Dijon Cream Sauce ~:
And my ~ Apple-Pie Chicken Paillard & Stuffing Casserole ~:
Or my ~ Barbecue-Sauced Sautéed Chicken Paillards ~:
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary, Photos and Commentary courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2023)
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