pork chops- your choice
Pickled mustard
1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1/4 cup diced apples- dunked in acidulated water- either water with lemon juice or ascorbic acid.
1/4 cup sexy sliced chives
Place the mustard seeds in a small pot and cover with cold water. Place on the stove and bring to a boil. The moment it boils, drain and cover with fresh cold water. Do this three times total.
Combine your vinegar, water, sugar, and a small pinch of salt. Place on the stove and bring to a rolling boil.
Cover the blanched mustard seeds with enough pickling liquid to just cover them. You might have a tbsp or two of pickling liquid left over.
Place the mustard seeds back on the heat and simmer until the pickling liquid has turned syrupy.
Cool completely.
To make the topping simply combine apples, pickled mustard, and chives in equal amounts.
cheesy polenta
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup polenta
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup shredded gruyere
salt to taste
Combine the water and milk in a pot and add a pinch of salt. Place on the stove over medium low heat and bring to a simmer.
Once the milk is at a simmer, begin streaming in the polenta while whisking. Once it starts to thicken up slightly drop the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes of until the polenta is completely cooked through. Walk by and stir every now and then paying close attention to the bottom of the pot to avoid scorching.
Once the polenta is cooked, add the butter and cheese. If you’d like to adjust the consistency, add a splash of milk. Taste for salt.
Apple reduction
2 quarts chicken stock
3 shallots- sliced
2 cloves garlic- crushed
sliver of bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
3 black peppercorns
1 Granny Smith apple- peeled and quartered
Preheat a pan over medium low heat and add a few tbsp of neutral oil. Once it shimmers and smokes add the shallots and garlic. Saute for 4-5 minutes until the shallots begin to turn translucent.
Add the chicken stock, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and I like to move the pot slightly off center from the burner, the bubbles will push all of the fat and impurities to one side making it very easy to skim.
Simmer for 30-40 minutes, skimming frequently, adding the apples at the halfway point. You don’t want the apples to go in at the start or they will fall apart and make your sauce, well apple sauce. So add them around 15 minutes in for the later half of the simmer.
Once the stock has thickened up slightly and is lightly nappe, strain. This is the base for your pan sauce.
This can be made ahead of time and cooled. You can use a spoonful whenever you wish or freeze it for 3 months.
Finishing the dish
Splash of apple brandy
apple cider vinegar
pad of butter
salt and pepper
If you’re cooking a pork chop with a nice fat cap, go ahead and season it up and place if fat side down in a cold pan. Turn the heat to medium low and render out that fat cap. If your pork chop doesn’t have a fat cap, use a few tbsp of neutral oil and cook it as you usually would.
Now the thing about pork that most people don’t know, you do not need to cook it well done. There was a time that the USDA and other agencies recommended it, however pork these days is not at the same risk and it is perfectly fine to cook pork to a lower temperature. So I recommend cooking pork to 145f internal and letting it rest for 8 minutes or so. It will carry over to around 155f which would be medium. So if you’re tired of dry pork chops I recommend that temperature.
Once your pork chop is resting, wipe out the pan to remove excess fat. Over medium low heat, deglaze with a splash of brandy and use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom to pick up all of the fond and delicious bits.
Once the brandy has almost evaporated, add around 1/2 cup of your apple reduction and bring to a simmer. Once it coats a spoon, add a pad of butter and swirl to combine. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and apple cider vinegar.
Serve with polenta, pork, and pickled mustard topping.
