Honey Mustard Glazed Apples with Pork

I did something very out of character for me.  In fact, it was out of character for both me and my husband.  We went grocery shopping together. I can't remember the last time we did that.  It was probably over 20 years ago when we were dating or when we were first married.  No matter.  We did pretty well.  No fights or anything.  Just that my hubby saw a recipe that he tore off one of those pads in the produce section of the grocery store.  He decided that I should make it for dinner one day.  He went off and picked up some pork chops and I gathered the other necessary ingredients.  After reading the recipe more closely at home, I realized that it was telling me to use a grill.  Well, that is something else I do rarely.  I do own a grill but using it is quite another matter.  It may even be out of propane.  I can't be sure if we ever refilled it.  I just decided that I would use a stove top grill instead.  For the rub, I used a recipe for the Dove Chocolate Discoveries cocoa rub I bought from a friend who is a rep for Dove.  The chocolate and spices gave the meat a great flavor.  Try it if you can. If not, just use one of the McCormick rubs that you can buy at the grocery store.  I had never heard of Junami apples before but they are really delicious.  A bit pricey but very yummy.  

Honey Mustard Glazed Apples with Pork

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

4 boneless pork chops (about 4 ounces each)

4 Junami apples, peeled, cored and sliced ¼ inch thick

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Spice rub for pork*

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon honey

½ cup dried cranberries, if desired

Season pork chops with spice rub and let stand at room temperature while preparing apples.

Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet over low heat.  Add apple slices and sprinkle with lemon juice.  Cook apples 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and fork tender.  Stir in the cranberries.

Combine the honey and mustard in a small bowl.  Stir into the fruit and continue cooking over low heat until the fruit is glazed.

Meanwhile, prepare the grill.  Cook pork over medium high heat 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until cooked through.  Serve with glazed apples. 

*I used Dove Cocoa Rub for these pork chops.   See below.

COCOA RUB

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns (red, black, white)

1 tablespoon whole coriander

4-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

4 tablespoons DOVE CHOCOLATE DISCOVERIES Cocoa Powder

4 tablespoons sea salt – finely ground

PREPARATION:

Over medium heat in a small saucepan, toast the peppercorns and coriander seeds for a few minutes until they begin to crackle and pop.  Remove from heat and grind to a fine powder in a spice mill or grinder.  Mix the ground pepper and coriander with remaining spices, cocoa powder and salt.  Rub onto pork, beef or chicken. 

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook

Easy Pork Chops

I found this recipe in an article which really should be called "Pork Chops for Dummies" in a Cook's Illustrated Magazine.  I haven't read many Cook's Illustrated issues so I have no idea how to identify which issue I found it in.  This magazine doesn't seem to use a date or a number.  Regardless, I have been searching for pork chop methods and recipes for a while now.  I was lucky to find this excellent method while flipping through the Cook's Illustrated.  It works great even if you are making the pork chops with a special sauce or glaze.  It really helps to make the chops juicy rather than dry like pork chops can often be.  Pork chops have so little fat that it is very hard to keep them from drying out.  Please give this method a try.  Cook's Illustrated does lots of research.  This method was a success for me.  The boys loved these chops.  Towards the end of cooking these, I used a prepared glaze rather than make the gravy suggested in the recipe.  

Easy Pork Chops

Serves 4

4 bone-in or center-cut chops, about 7 ounces each and ½ to ¾ inch thick

Patted dry with paper towels and prepared according to instructions below

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Salt and ground black pepper

½ teaspoon sugar

1.        If using electric stove, turn burner to medium heat, Rub both sides of each chop with 1/8 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle one side of each chop evenly with 1/8 teaspoon sugar, avoiding the bone.

2.       Place chops, sugared side down, in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, positioning the chops as noted below.  Using hands, press meat of each chop into pan.  Set skillet with chops over medium heat; cook until lightly browned, 4 to 9 minutes (chops should be sizzling after 2 minutes, if not, raise the heat to medium-high).  Using tongs, flip chops, positioning them in same manner.  Cover skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook until center of each chop registers 140 degrees on instant read thermometer, 3 to 6 minutes (begin checking temperature after 2 minutes); chops will barely brown on second side.  Transfer chops to platter, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes; do not discard liquid in skillet.

3.       Add any juices accumulated on platter to skillet.  Set skillet over high heat and simmer vigorously until reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 30 seconds to 90 seconds, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.  Off heat, return pork chops to skillet, turning chops to coat with reduced juices.  Serve chops immediately, browned side up, pouring any remaining juices over.

Cooks Illustrated

Step-By-Step: Cooking the Chops

1.        Cut two slits about 2 inches apart through fat and connective tissue.

2.       Place pork chops in cold pan with bony ribs facing center.

3.       Rely on temperature, not timing, to judge when chops are done.

Enjoy!

Vermont Maple Syrup Pork Chops

In early November, we went to a local restaurant that changes its menu weekly to recipes that highlight a different state.  They cycle through all 50 states over the course of the year.  The week we went, the featured state was Vermont.  My husband and my son both got the Vermont Maple Syrup Pork Chops.   I thought that I would look for a recipe that was similar to the recipe the boys had tried at the restaurant.  I found this recipe on simplyrecipes.com.  It made some yummy pork chops.  I have to say that I enjoyed these very much.  In fact, my husband said he liked mine better than the ones served at the restaurant except that those chops were much thicker.

Vermont Maple Syrup Pork Chops

Cooking time will vary widely, depending on how thick your pork chops are.

Ingredients:

4 pork chops (bone-in or center cut)
2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1/4 cup minced onion, plus 1 medium onion sliced (sliced onion optional)
1 tablespoon apple cider or white vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup water
1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt to taste
About 1 tablespoon flour to thicken the gravy

Method:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Heat the butter or oil in a large saute pan on medium high heat  Pat dry the chops with paper towels.  Lightly salt the pork chops then brown each side in the saute pan.  Cook just enough to brown, then remove from pan and place into a high-sided baking dish or roasting pan.  (If your pork chops are very thin and have cooked through at this point, skip the oven step and tent them loosely with aluminum foil while making the sauce.)

2.  Add the minced onion to the saute pan in which you browned the pork, and saute for 2-3 minutes, until the onion begins to brown.  Add the vinegar, chili powder, pepper, maple syrup, water, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan and bring to a boil.  Pour this sauce over the pork chops in the baking dish.  Lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes for thick (1-inch thick) chops, 5-10 minutes for thin (1/2-inch thick) chops, or until the interior of the pork reaches 145 degrees F.

3.  Optional:  In the same saute pan that you used to make the sauce, add a little oil and heat to medium heat.  Cook the sliced onions in the pan, allowing the onions to pick up any sauce remaining in the pan.  Cook until lightly browned, while the pork chops are baking.

4.  Place the pork chops on a serving platter and loosely tent with foil.  Pour the sauce into the saucepan you seared the chops in and whisk in 1 tablespoon flour to thicken the gravy.  Salt to taste, and serve the gravy over the chops and (optional) onions.

Yield:  Serves 4.

Crock Pot Chili Pork Chops

I found this recipe on Food.com yesterday.  I made it on a whim because it got really great reviews from quite a few people.  Also, it looked easy to make.  I am very interested in easy recipes right now because I am back working temporarily.  It is only a three days a week job but there is enough work for full-time.  Especially since I am learning how to do everything from scratch.  My niece L gave us a bunch of pork chops (bone-in) from a pig they bought.  They don't particularly like pork chops but I figured I would try different recipes that she and my nephew might like, too.  This one is very easy and it smells great. I haven't eaten it yet but I expect it to be delicious!  The recipe says it makes 3 portions.  I will have to see about that.



Crock Pot Chili Pork Chops

Photo by Chef shapeweaver ©

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onions

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 -3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon chili powder

5 -6 pork chops (bone in preferred)

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook onions in oil until lightly brown.
2. Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, water, ketchup and salt and pepper.
3. Cover and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
4. Arrange pork chops in crock pot, pour sauce over the chops.
5. Cover and cook on LOW HEAT for 6-7 hours.

Blueberry Balsamic Pork Chops

I know that some of you don't like blueberries but I have a bunch of them still in my freezer. I also have several "bone-in" pork chops.  So I decided to make this recipe for dinner.  I know that the recipe recommends using boneless pork chops but I just cooked the bone-in ones a bit longer than suggested.  It worked out great!  Try this recipe.  I made it with Giada's Herbed Quinoa recipe that I got from Food Network's website.  I also served some zucchini but any side vegetable that you like is fine.  My son approved of the pork, the quinoa and the zucchini!

Blueberry Balsamic Pork Chops

Serves 4

4 boneless center loin pork chops
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to season
½ cup white wine or chicken stock
½ tsp thyme
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
3 tablespoons butter

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Pan fry the pork chops in the olive oil and garlic until completely cooked about 4-5 minutes per side. Hold the pork chops in a warm oven. 

Put the blueberries, balsamic vinegar, wine (or stock), thyme, nutmeg and brown sugar in a non-reactive pan.  Bring the sauce to a boil.  Simmer to reduce the volume of the sauce by half. Add the lemon juice and butter and simmer for an additional minute or so until the sauce slightly thickens.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and spoon the sauce over the cooked pork chops.  Sprinkle each pork chop with Blue Cheese.  

Enjoy!

Pork Chops for the Slow Cooker

Slow cookers aren't just for meals made on cold winter days. They are useful in the summer months, too. So take out your slow cooker, dust it off, and make this yummy pork chop meal. It is quick to assemble and easy to clean up. D and B (my boys) really like pork chops. I am not a huge fan of them but I will cook them on occasion. The problem with most of the pork you can buy these days is that it is extremely lean. O.K. maybe that isn't too much of a problem. But the way I see it, the pork gets very dry, really quickly. In my opinion, the best way to make pork is either in the oven or in a slow cooker. As you probably know, slow cookers are much easier to use and clean than most ovens. Also, in the summer you don't necessarily want to heat up your whole house by using the oven (at least I don't). I did some searching on the internet for a tasty pork chop recipe. I found one but it had inconsistent reviews. Most folks said it was good but salty. Some said it was terrible. The ingredients for that recipe included both ketchup and soy sauce. This didn't sound very good to me so I changed up the recipe for my family. Please be sure to cook this recipe for only 6 hours on low setting. It isn't one of those recipes you can leave in the crock pot all day. Here is the recipe I came up with. I hope you will like it!



Pork Chops for the Slow Cooker



6 boneless pork chops

1/2 cup brown sugar or honey

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium)

1/4 cup canned peaches mashed (and juice)

2 cloves garlic, crushed





Directions:



1. Place pork chops into the slow cooker. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the pork chops.



2. Cook on low setting for 6 hours, or until internal temperature of pork has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Serve with rice - we like jasmine rice - and a veggie. I like to serve it with green beans. Yum!

My family had this to say about the recipe: my son D said it could have been a bit sweeter. I thought it could have used a little red pepper for some heat and my hubby B agreed.



The Creative Cook