I had pork chops in the freezer & a box of Live GFree cornbread mix. I made pork chops in an apple mustard pan sauce, creamed spinach & strawberry cornbread.
I had pork chops in the freezer & a box of Live GFree cornbread mix. I made pork chops in an apple mustard pan sauce, creamed spinach & strawberry cornbread.
I have Celiac disease so I have to make everything gluten-free. You can substitute regular gluten flour / cornbread mix if you’re not a Celiac.
🐷 Pork chops with an apple-mustard pan sauce
Ingredients
• Center-cut pork chop, bone-in, fat cap left on. (Should be a couple inches thick)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Neutral oil
• 3-4 Tablespoons of Butter
• Thyme sprigs
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
Pan Sauce
• Neutral oil
• ½ white onion or a few shallots, sliced thinly
• Salt
• 3-4 sprigs of thyme.
• 3-4 crushed garlic cloves
• 1-2 ounces Apple cider or apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Whole grain mustard
• ¼-⅓ cup heavy cream (or evaporated milk)
• ¼-½ cup of chicken stock
• 1-2 tablespoons of butter
• Parsley for garnish
1. Get your pork chop nice and dry with a paper towel. Moisture is the enemy of a good sear and a nice brown crust on the outside.
2. Add generous amount of salt and pepper to a tray and place already dried off meat into the seasoning. Add salt and pepper to the top and fat cap of the meat. (There is no salt flavor inside the chop, so you want it seasoned well.)
3. Before the pork is put in the pan, dab any moisture off with a paper towel.
4. Start with a skillet and preheat to medium.
5. Using a neutral oil (I used avocado) coat your preheated skillet. You’ll know your pan is ready when you see the oil shimmer / ripple.
6. One last time, dab any moisture off the pork chop.
7. Put it in the pan and drop it away from yourself so that you don’t get splashed with hot oil.
8. Lower temperature a bit towards medium-low.
9. After 3 minutes, check for browning on the bottom. If browned, flip the chop and let it sear for About three to four minutes.
10. Once a little brown on both sides, hold the chop with the fat side down to render that fat out a little.
11. Dump out the searing fat to discard.
12. To the skillet add butter, a couple of sprigs of thyme and some crushed garlic.
13. Tilt the skillet to get the melted butter, thyme and garlic to one side so that you can get it in a metal spoon to baste the pork chop.
14. Continue to baste the pork chop u til the garlic and butter get brown but not burnt.
15. Using an instant read thermometer, get the probe close to the bone (it’s the last part of the meat to cook to temperature) and look for a temperature reading of between 135-140°F. Meat will continue to cook for a bit once removed from the pan. (This temp is only if your pork is good quality from a clean butcher. If not or you’re scared to go that low, temp it to 145°F per USDA food safety recommendations.)
16. Take the pork chop and put it on a resting rack over for about five to seven minutes.
Pan sauce:
1. Dump out any oil or leftover butter from your pan but don’t scrape out any meat bits. This is fond and you need that to flavor your sauce.
2. Add some neutral oil to coat your pan.
3. Keep your skillet on medium heat.
4. Scrape the fond on the bottom of the pan to loosen to incorporate into your sauce.
5. Add thinly sliced onion and add salt. Let the onions turn translucent.
6. Add a few sprigs of thyme.
7. Add 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic.
8. Deglaze your pan using apple cider or apple cider vinegar.
9. Add whole grain mustard
10. Add heavy cream. Stir to incorporate.
11. Add chicken stock.
12. Salt and pepper your sauce. Taste.
13. Reduce your sauce over medium heat.
14. Add butter to sauce and let melt in.
15. Sauce is ready when you can coat the back of a spoon, run your finger through it and it holds a line through it.
16. Ladle sauce onto a plate, place pork chop on top and garnish with parsley
******
🥬 Gluten-free Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
• 1 large red onion, diced (mine weighed 14 ounces)
• ¼ apple cider vinegar
• 3-4 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 ½ cup whole milk (full fat)
• 28-30 ounces evaporated milk (I used 2.5 cans)
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour (regular wheat flour works. Nut or coconut flours will not work.)
• 6 ounces mozzarella
• 6 ounces Parmesan cheese (I used shaved Parmesan)
• 3 lbs frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Run frozen spinach under cool water while in a colander. Drain extra water from the spinach. Squeeze the excess moisture from the spinach. I used a cast iron hamburger press on the spinach and let it drain while I prepped my ingredients.
2. Dice a large onion. Set aside.
3. Gather your spices, milks, cheeses. Open the cans of evaporated milk.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, add diced red onion. (I used an All-Clad 3qt. sauté pan. By the end it was full to the top.)
5. Add apple cider vinegar and cover skillet with lid. Cook until onions are translucent.
6. Still over medium heat, add butter, let it melt, then throw in garlic, Old Bay seasoning and cayenne. Stir for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.
7. Add milks.
8. While constantly whisking, slowly add flour. (I use a ball whisk so onions don’t get caught in the whisk) Whisk until it’s thoroughly combined with the onion mixture, then cook for another minute to deepen the flavor. It will become thick as you cook it. You can switch to a spoon once incorporated.
9. Add cheeses to your mix. I used shaved Parmesan and cut the mozzarella into a couple of chunks. I don’t use the shredded kind because I don’t want the anti-clumping starch.
10. Add your thawed and drained spinach. Stir to incorporate completely.
11. Add freshly ground nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
12. Stir again and taste to make sure it doesn’t need more seasonings. Adjust if necessary.
13. Serve.
******
🍓 Quick Strawberry Cornbread with Hot Honey Strawberry Compote
– Macerate 2-3 cups of fresh strawberries
– Add 2 Tablespoons of hot honey
1. Make cornbread according to package (I used Live GFree gluten-free cornbread)
2. Swirl in a half cup of strawberry compote.
3. Bake for 45 minutes in a 375°F oven.
4. Top with more compote.
5. Add a dollop of whipped cream (not Cool Whip, that stuff tastes like the scent of gasoline.)
1 Comment
I have Celiac disease so I have to make everything gluten-free. You can substitute regular gluten flour / cornbread mix if you’re not a Celiac.
🐷 Pork chops with an apple-mustard pan sauce
Ingredients
• Center-cut pork chop, bone-in, fat cap left on. (Should be a couple inches thick)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Neutral oil
• 3-4 Tablespoons of Butter
• Thyme sprigs
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
Pan Sauce
• Neutral oil
• ½ white onion or a few shallots, sliced thinly
• Salt
• 3-4 sprigs of thyme.
• 3-4 crushed garlic cloves
• 1-2 ounces Apple cider or apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Whole grain mustard
• ¼-⅓ cup heavy cream (or evaporated milk)
• ¼-½ cup of chicken stock
• 1-2 tablespoons of butter
• Parsley for garnish
1. Get your pork chop nice and dry with a paper towel. Moisture is the enemy of a good sear and a nice brown crust on the outside.
2. Add generous amount of salt and pepper to a tray and place already dried off meat into the seasoning. Add salt and pepper to the top and fat cap of the meat. (There is no salt flavor inside the chop, so you want it seasoned well.)
3. Before the pork is put in the pan, dab any moisture off with a paper towel.
4. Start with a skillet and preheat to medium.
5. Using a neutral oil (I used avocado) coat your preheated skillet. You’ll know your pan is ready when you see the oil shimmer / ripple.
6. One last time, dab any moisture off the pork chop.
7. Put it in the pan and drop it away from yourself so that you don’t get splashed with hot oil.
8. Lower temperature a bit towards medium-low.
9. After 3 minutes, check for browning on the bottom. If browned, flip the chop and let it sear for About three to four minutes.
10. Once a little brown on both sides, hold the chop with the fat side down to render that fat out a little.
11. Dump out the searing fat to discard.
12. To the skillet add butter, a couple of sprigs of thyme and some crushed garlic.
13. Tilt the skillet to get the melted butter, thyme and garlic to one side so that you can get it in a metal spoon to baste the pork chop.
14. Continue to baste the pork chop u til the garlic and butter get brown but not burnt.
15. Using an instant read thermometer, get the probe close to the bone (it’s the last part of the meat to cook to temperature) and look for a temperature reading of between 135-140°F. Meat will continue to cook for a bit once removed from the pan. (This temp is only if your pork is good quality from a clean butcher. If not or you’re scared to go that low, temp it to 145°F per USDA food safety recommendations.)
16. Take the pork chop and put it on a resting rack over for about five to seven minutes.
Pan sauce:
1. Dump out any oil or leftover butter from your pan but don’t scrape out any meat bits. This is fond and you need that to flavor your sauce.
2. Add some neutral oil to coat your pan.
3. Keep your skillet on medium heat.
4. Scrape the fond on the bottom of the pan to loosen to incorporate into your sauce.
5. Add thinly sliced onion and add salt. Let the onions turn translucent.
6. Add a few sprigs of thyme.
7. Add 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic.
8. Deglaze your pan using apple cider or apple cider vinegar.
9. Add whole grain mustard
10. Add heavy cream. Stir to incorporate.
11. Add chicken stock.
12. Salt and pepper your sauce. Taste.
13. Reduce your sauce over medium heat.
14. Add butter to sauce and let melt in.
15. Sauce is ready when you can coat the back of a spoon, run your finger through it and it holds a line through it.
16. Ladle sauce onto a plate, place pork chop on top and garnish with parsley
******
🥬 Gluten-free Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
• 1 large red onion, diced (mine weighed 14 ounces)
• ¼ apple cider vinegar
• 3-4 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 ½ cup whole milk (full fat)
• 28-30 ounces evaporated milk (I used 2.5 cans)
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour (regular wheat flour works. Nut or coconut flours will not work.)
• 6 ounces mozzarella
• 6 ounces Parmesan cheese (I used shaved Parmesan)
• 3 lbs frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Run frozen spinach under cool water while in a colander. Drain extra water from the spinach. Squeeze the excess moisture from the spinach. I used a cast iron hamburger press on the spinach and let it drain while I prepped my ingredients.
2. Dice a large onion. Set aside.
3. Gather your spices, milks, cheeses. Open the cans of evaporated milk.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, add diced red onion. (I used an All-Clad 3qt. sauté pan. By the end it was full to the top.)
5. Add apple cider vinegar and cover skillet with lid. Cook until onions are translucent.
6. Still over medium heat, add butter, let it melt, then throw in garlic, Old Bay seasoning and cayenne. Stir for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.
7. Add milks.
8. While constantly whisking, slowly add flour. (I use a ball whisk so onions don’t get caught in the whisk) Whisk until it’s thoroughly combined with the onion mixture, then cook for another minute to deepen the flavor. It will become thick as you cook it. You can switch to a spoon once incorporated.
9. Add cheeses to your mix. I used shaved Parmesan and cut the mozzarella into a couple of chunks. I don’t use the shredded kind because I don’t want the anti-clumping starch.
10. Add your thawed and drained spinach. Stir to incorporate completely.
11. Add freshly ground nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
12. Stir again and taste to make sure it doesn’t need more seasonings. Adjust if necessary.
13. Serve.
******
🍓 Quick Strawberry Cornbread with Hot Honey Strawberry Compote
– Macerate 2-3 cups of fresh strawberries
– Add 2 Tablespoons of hot honey
1. Make cornbread according to package (I used Live GFree gluten-free cornbread)
2. Swirl in a half cup of strawberry compote.
3. Bake for 45 minutes in a 375°F oven.
4. Top with more compote.
5. Add a dollop of whipped cream (not Cool Whip, that stuff tastes like the scent of gasoline.)