Since Red sugars every spring (makes maple syrup for those of you who aren't in the know), we always have a pretty heft supply of maple syrup and maple cream in the fridge at my cooking disposal. I created this recipe to be used on pork chops, but have also used it on boneless chicken breasts. The last time I made this, I brined my pork chops for a day before cooking them for a little added moisture and flavor. It is certainly not necessary to do this, but if I have the time and forethought, I always do.
Meat:
3-4 pork chops
Salt
Pepper
Brine:
2 qt water
1/2 cup sea salt
Any fruits or veggies for flavor
1 tbl whole cloves
1 tbl black peppercorns
1 tbl whole allspice
1 tbl rosemary
Glaze:
1 tbl butter
1/4 cup maple cream
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 tbl apple cider vinegar
3 tbl mustard (either a dijon or stone ground)
1 shallot, sliced
1. Bring to boil 2 qts water and 1/2 cup sea salt. In addition to this, I add fruit that I think has no where to go but in the garbage can. This time I added 1/2 grapefruit, 2 clementines, 2 apples (cored), and 3 cloves garlic. Boil for 45 - 60 min. Allow to cool to room temperature. Pour cooled brine with contents over pork chops, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove chops from brine and discard brine. Pat the pork chops dry, this allows them to get that nice browning effect. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Heat an oven proof skillet over medium high heat with enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom. Cook chops on both sides until lightly browned. Remove from pan.
4. Melt butter in the pan, use a whisk to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
5. As butter is melting, combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. When butter is melted, add the other combined ingredients to the skillet. Allow to simmer until reduced by half.
6. Place chops back in the pan, spoon sauce over them, and place in a 350 F oven. Cook until internal temp of pork is 160 F, basting with the sauce every 4-5 minutes.
7. Remove pan from oven, allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.
This recipe is a hit in my house and is not time consuming at all. It comes out great every time!
I need an education... what is maple cream? I'm taking a wild guess that it is a combination of maple syrup and cream. Is it something I can buy in the grocery store (since we do not have Reds).
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up. :)
Actually maple cream is made when maple syrup is cooked down more. It is a consistency of paste (not to make it sound unappetizing) and is the stage in between syrup and maple candy. I know that in New England, it is fairly readily available at sugar houses, supermarkets, co-ops, and farmers' markets (it would be right in with the other maple products). My favorite thing to do with maple cream is to put it on toast or an english muffin. It gets all melty on hot bread and is sooooo good and sweet. For this recipe, you could also use maple syrup, but I wouldn't add the chicken stock.
ReplyDelete