I’ve never been that into pork chops – they’re just a little “blah” for me. I do love my Apple & Mushroom Pork Medallions recipe…but it’s a touch labor-intensive for a weeknight dinner, what with all the marinating and such. But we’ve been eating a ton of chicken and steak lately, and the other night I got to thinking I wanted to mix it up…and remembered my mom’s pork chops from when I was growing up: they were super-straightforward, just seasoned and topped with jarred applesauce, and they were delicious. 

And so I made a Jordan-ized version. (Even Kendrick, who agrees with me on the “pork chops are blah” thing, said he’d like them to go into the steady rotation.)

PORK CHOPS WITH HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE (serves 2; based on this recipe)

What you need:

1-2 boneless pork loin chops per person (we just split three chops between the two of us)

3 Golden Delicious apples

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp light brown sugar

2 cups apple juice (get the good stuff)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

2 tbsp butter

What you do:

1. First, peel and chop the apples. This part is kind of a pain (the rest isn’t, I promise).

2. Throw the apples into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat along with the lemon juice, brown sugar, apple juice, and cinnamon. Cook about 10 minutes, until the apples are tender and a sauce has formed (it’s OK if it looks like it’s bubbling; you can reduce the heat to stop the sauce from splattering but you don’t want to turn it down too low).

Note: What you’ll get at the end of this is a very chunky sauce (pictured above), so if you’d like it a bit smoother just puree half of the batch in a blender and then mix it back into the non-pureed half (thanks for the tip, Alejandra!).

3. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in another pan over medium-high heat. Season your pork chops well with salt (and pepper, if you like) and add them to the pan. Cook about 9-10 minutes, turning the chops every so often, until they’re cooked through (check to see if the juices run clear). Remove the chops to a plate to let them rest.

4. Deglaze the pan that you cooked the chops in by adding a splash of apple juice and the butter to the pan, and then pour the pan sauce over the chops.

5. Serve topped with your homemade apple sauce.

YUM.

Pictured: Noritake Hertford China.

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February 22nd, 2013 | Eat | 1 Comment »

When it comes to weeknight dinners, I’m very much a Stable Of Go-Tos person. I do enjoy breaking out of my comfort zone and trying brand-new recipes…but usually not between Monday and Friday.

You see, my son has a little radar machine that he uses to determine if I’ve started to putter around in the kitchen before he goes to sleep, and he uses that radar machine to instantly abandon whatever toy he had been totally engrossed in three seconds earlier, ramble over in my direction, clutch my legs, and gaze up at me adorably.

And then if I make the terrible, horrible mistake of not immediately stepping away from the stove, he yells at me. Adorably, of course.

Anyway, I try to reserve cooking for the post-bedtime hours, which means that unless we want to be eating at 9PM, I’m reaching for one of ten or so meals that I know how to make with my eyes shut, take about 20 minutes to prepare, and are basic enough that I’m likely to already have everything I need in my cupboards.

But on Christmas Eve, our friends invited us over for a post-church cocktail party, and had set out the most amazing beef tenderloin I’ve ever tasted. I’ve been thinking about it ever since, and so yesterday I decided to try making it myself.

Except I bought pork tenderloin. Because apparently I wander through grocery stores in a cloud of fairy dust and confusion. When I got home I emailed my friend to ask if she happened to have a great pork tenderloin recipe handy as well…and presto: Pork Tenderloin with Thyme and Gorgonzola Sauce (based on this recipe).

Holy good. And surprisingly fast and easy.

New addition to the Stable!

What you need:

For The Pork

1 pork tenderloin (mine was about 2 1/2 lbs), cut into 4 pieces

1/2 cup coarse dijon mustard

2 tbsp fresh thyme

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper

For The Gorgonzola Sauce

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

What you do:

1. First, make the sauce for the pork by whisking together the mustard, olive oil and thyme in a small bowl.

2. Heat a heavy-bottomed nonstick pan, and brown the pork on all sides (about 10 minutes total should do it).

3. Remove the pork to a foil-lined, oiled baking sheet. Spoon over the mustard sauce. (Note: I did this step in advance, and then left the pork uncovered in the refrigerator until about 40 minutes before we planned to eat.)

4. Preheat your oven to 425F, and roast the pork for about 30-35 minutes (I ended up removing the smaller pieces at 30 minutes and leaving in the larger pieces for another five).

5. While the pork is roasting, prepare the Gorgonzola Sauce. In a small pot, melt the butter and then whisk in the flour. Whisk for about 30 seconds.

6. Gradually add the heavy cream and white wine, whisking more or less constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (add a little more flour as needed to achieve the consistency you’re looking for).

7. Add the crumbled gorgonzola (you might want to reserve a few crumbles for garnish), and continue whisking for about five minutes, until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.

8. Serve by slicing pork and drizzling over sauce, with thyme sprigs for garnish. (You’ll have a bunch of sauce left over; just serve that separately in a small bowl.)

Pictured: Noritake Hertford China.

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January 9th, 2013 | Eat | 1 Comment »