The Magic of Herbs

As my food journey through France begins to wind down, one thing I've definitely noticed about French cooking and what sets it apart from other types of cuisine, is their use of herbs and herb blends. It's wonderful! I'm using herbs and herb blends that - until I took this little food journey - I might not ever have used. In this dish I used, for the first time, herbes de Provence.  For those of you not familiar with herbes de Provence (like me before this recipe), it's a blend of dried herbs typically found in the Provence region of France. The name "herbes de Provence" is generic, however and not a protected geographical status as many of the herbs used in the blend may now come from Africa, China, parts of Europe, as well as Provence. The standard mixture of the herb blend is actually thought to have come from spice wholesalers in the 1970s.

The pork loin recipe featured below is inspired by The French Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone. I think you'll find it's very similar to how pork loin is prepared in the U.S. with a couple of notable differences. First, the use of herbes de Provence. The herb blend gave this dish so much flavor! And I cannot describe to you how wonderful my entire house smelled while this was roasting. The other difference was the cream sauce served with the pork. It  was thinner than a gravy (although I imagine you could have thickened it to a gravy) and much more flavorful. The meat was already full of flavor, moist and tender so the cream sauce and mushrooms became another flavor and texture dimension.

The prep time and finishing time of this recipe were next to nothing making this dish not only delicious, but very convenient for busy homemakers. My photos don't do nearly a good enough job of showing how beautiful the pork loin is when it comes to the table. This pork loin looks like you slaved for hours when nothing could be farther from the truth!

Slow Cooked Pork and Mushrooms in Cream Sauce

Inspired by Michele Scicolone's "The French Slow Cooker"

Serves:  4 - 6

1 boneless pork loin, 2 - 3 lbs

salt & pepper

olive oil

1 cup white wine (may substitute low-sodium chicken stock)

1/2 tsp. herbes de Provence (see recipe below)

3 cups white button mushrooms, gently cleaned and thickly sliced

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup heavy cream (may also use sour cream)

1-2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (you can use 2 tsp. dried parsley, if you don't have fresh)


Place the mushrooms and onion in the crock of your slow cooker. Heat the olive oil (about 2 turns of the pan) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Generously salt and pepper the pork loin on all sides and place in the skillet. Brown the pork loin on all sides. Place the pork loin in the slow cooker, on top of the onions and mushrooms. Pour off the excess olive oil from the skillet, but leave any browned bits of pork in the skillet. This is where all the flavor is! Place the skillet back over the heat and add the wine or stock to the pan, along with the herbes de Provence. Bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning (if necessary) with a little salt and pepper. Pour the wine mixture over the pork loin and mushrooms, cover and slow cook on low for 6-8 hours.

To finish this dish, remove the pork loin from the slow cooker when it has finished roasting and place it on a serving platter. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm while you prepare the cream sauce. Pour the mushrooms, onions and liquid from the slow cooker into a saucepan. You may strain the mixture, if you prefer not to have the mushrooms and onions in the cream sauce. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat and let it continue boiling until it reduces by half. This will concentrate the flavor. Add the cream to the liquid and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and stir in 1-2 tablespoons of butter to thicken the sauce. The sauce will only thicken slightly and will be much thinner than a gravy.

To serve:  slice the pork loin and spoon (or pour) the cream sauce over the slices of pork. Rough chop the parsley and sprinkle it over the slices of pork loin. Voilà!

I served this roasted pork loin with garlic smashed potatoes and green beans. It was an extraordinary meal and one that I'll be making again!

If you're like me and have never used herbes de Provence in cooking before, I think you'll love it! I know it'll be a blend I come back to many, many times!

Herbes de Provence Seasoning Mix

1 tbsp. dried marjoram (may substitute oregano, but cut the amount in half as oregano is stronger)

1 tbsp. dried thyme

1 tbsp. dried savory (may substitute sage, but cut the amount in half as sage is stronger)

1 bay leaf, ground

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/8 tsp. tarragon

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container.


Be sure to check out "What's in the Oven?" for delicious dinner and dessert crepe recipes!

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