Saturday, September 25, 2010

Recipe: Pork Chops with Cider and Apples

This is the American version of Pork with cider and apples.

Pork Chops with Cider and Apples

Makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 center-cut boneless pork chops, 6-7 ounces each

3/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 shallots, minced

2 cups hard or sweet cider

1 cup dried apple slices

3 tablespoons whipping cream

2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; season chops with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and pepper to taste. Cook chops in skillet, turning once, until browned, and almost cooked through. Remove from skillet.

2. Add shallots to skillet; cook over medium heat until translucent, 2 minutes. Add cider; heat to a simmer. Add apple slices; cook until apples are soft and cider is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream, mustard and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of the salt; cook until slightly thickened. Taste sauce for seasoning. Return chops to skillet; heat until chops are cooked through.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 441 calories, 46 percent of calories from fat, 23 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 105 mg cholesterol, 31 g carbohydrates, 28 g protein, 729 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

The basic method is sound, and you can make variations with different types of cider, cuts of pork and whether or not to add cream for example. Seems a lot of people have discovered how well pork and cider go together, but there's alwas someone else looking for a recipe. Do you like following recipes or just cook pork and cider with the best ingredients you can find?