The Other White Meat

Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Glazed Apples

We've been feeling adventurous in the kitchen lately and have been excited for the weekends to arrive so we have time to cook up something fun and special. This recipe has been on our 'to cook' list for quite some time, and we wondered why we waited so long at the first bite.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs dark brown sugar

1 Tbs, plus 1 tsp, kosher salt

1 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary (the key is: fresh)

1 Tbs herbs de provence

4 thinly cut pork chops (about ½ inch thick each)

freshly ground pepper

1 Tbs bacon grease, plus more as needed

2 small to medium red apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½ inch pieces

1 ½ cups chicken stock or chicken broth

1/3 cup apricot jam, sweetened (we used peach, as we had it on hand)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Let’s start cooking:

1. C Combine brown sugar, salt, and rosemary in small bowl. Stir together. Coat pork chops on both sides with the mixture, gently massaging meat with your fingers to jump-start the curing process. Let stand for 15 mins. Rinse chops and pat dry with paper towels.

Mel Melt 1 Tbs bacon grease in a large heavy skillet over high heat, add pork chops, and cook until crispy brown, about 2 mins on each side.

3. Transfer pork chops to a plate and cover with foil. Add apples to skillet and cook, stirring gently to brown slightly, about 30 seconds, adding a bit more bacon grease if the pan is dry. Add stock, jam, and cinnamon and stir well. Cook until sauce thickens and is rich brown in color, about 10 mins. (Don’t cook down the sauce too much, but if you do, simply add a bit more stock).

4. Uncover the pork chops and top with glazed apples.

5. * * Variation: we added dried cranberries when browning the apples. We also used about 5 apples--we LOVE fruit!

Serve with boiled potatoes. Enjoy!

(And just to be fair, I can't take 100% credit for these delish recipes: The Bride and Groom Cookbook is really a the best recipe file available in stores -- aside from family favorites. Authors and twin sisters Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford know their food. Go get a copy of the book! )