Although I love a piece of thick crispy bacon and can’t get enough Honeybaked ham, I am not a huge fan of pork chops.
It could be that my mom only served them one of two ways:
- In the crockpot swimming in cream of mushroom soup or
- In the oven, which meant they were usually overcooked and dried out “Shake and Bake” style.
My brother-in-law cooks a pork loin in a cream lime sauce that everyone else raves about. I don’t know why, because he’s a great cook, but it’s never really appealed to me. My husband and son love Shake and Bake and the pork chops have to be paper thin. Nope, not for me!
So, in an effort to give pork another try, I’m experimenting on a rather expensive (for pork) preparation of the loin chop: Frenched double cut pork chop.
Apple Roasted Frenched Pork Chops
Heat a large skillet (one that has a lid) with about 2 TBLS Olive Oil over a high flame. Liberally salt and pepper both sides and the fatty edge (I prefer freshly ground for both and I use sea salt) of 2 French Cut inch to inch and a half double cut bone in pork chops (I get mine at Trader Joe’s). When the oil is hot, sear the chops on both sides and on the fatty edge for 2-3 minutes per area.
Remove the chops from the pan and lower the heat to Medium. Add 1 thinly sliced small granny smith apple (peel on), about 1/2 Cup thinly sliced and separated sweet yellow onion, and 4-6 bulbs pre-roasted and cooled garlic to the pan. Cook about 3 minutes, until garlic is thoroughly incorporated (use a fork to break up the bulbs), onions are opaque and apples begin to soften. Add about 1 Cup apple juice, apple cider or white wine (if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it!) and stir up the brown pieces while deglazing the pan cook 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1 Cup low-sodium chicken broth to the pan and simmer for 2 more minutes.
Return the pork chops to the pan, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-22 minutes depending on the thickness of your chops. Turn the chops over at about 10 minutes.
Remove the chops from the pan and add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of heavy cream and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper to the pan. Increase heat to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring continuously to scrape up browned bits and thicken the sauce. Evenly distribute the apple, onion and sauce over the chops and serve immediately
I serve these atop a bed of mashed potatoes or with yesterday’s recipe: Roasted Garlic Cheesy Cauliflower and a crisp green salad.
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