Pork Chops With Apples and Cider
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¼teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3cloves
- 4allspice berries
- 2tablespoons roughly chopped sage
- 1and ½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 6boneless pork chops, 4 ounces each, about ½-inch thick
- 2large apples
- 2tablespoons butter
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- ½cup hard cider, plus 2 tablespoons
- 2teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1and ½ cups chicken broth
- 2teaspoons potato starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
- 3tablespoons crème fraîche
- 1tablespoon Calvados, apple brandy or Cognac, optional
- 2tablespoons finely cut chives
- 2tablespoons chopped parsley
For the Spiced Salt
For the Pork and Sauce
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
337 calories; 16 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 693 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the spice salt: Put peppercorns, cloves, allspice and sage in a spice mill or mortar and grind to a powder. Remove to a bowl and stir in salt. Season pork chops on both sides with salt mixture. (There will be some salt mixture remaining; use it to season the sauce, Step 4.) Cover and leave chops at room temperature to absorb seasonings for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Peel, quarter and core apples, then cut each apple into 12 wedges. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a wide skillet and raise heat to medium-high. Add apple wedges in one layer and brown gently on one side, about 2 minutes. Brown on the other side and cook for 2 minutes more, or until apples are cooked through but still firm. Remove apples from pan and keep warm.
- Step 3
Add 1 tablespoon butter to pan and swirl to melt. Dust pork chops with flour, and place in pan and brown gently for about 4 minutes per side. Adjust heat if necessary to keep pork from cooking too quickly. Remove chops and keep warm on a platter in a low oven. Discard remaining butter.
- Step 4
Add ½ cup cider to pan, raise heat to high and cook down to a syrup. Add mustard and chicken broth, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add potato starch and stir with a wire whisk as the sauce thickens. Stir in crème fraîche. Season to taste with remaining spiced salt. Add 2 tablespoons cider and the Calvados, if using. Cook for 1 minute more.
- Step 5
Spoon sauce over the chops, then spoon the apples around the platter. Sprinkle with chives and parsley.
Private Notes
Comments
I have been using a low heat technique that produces a moist chop every time. They must be at least 1/2-3/4" thick, start with room temp chops in no heated pan then turn heat to medium.
I prepared this dish last night and my husband said, "This is really lovely." That's high praise from him and we both cleaned our plates. I served it with Mark Bittman's Potato Nik. The apples really steal the show.
My cheats: used extra heavy cream, added applesauce to thicken, used brandy and a TB of cider vinegar for tang. Next time I might add a pinch of cinnamon to the rub.
For those using dried spices, you may find these conversions helpful. For every 8 peppercorns called for, use 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper in its place. Use one teaspoon of whole cloves in place of 3/4 teaspoon of ground cloves (so that's 1 to 1/3 times as many whole cloves as ground cloves). 6 whole allspice berries = 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground allspice. 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage = 1 teaspoon dried sage https://www.thespruceeats.com/
Excellent. Definitely will make again. Substituted yogurt for creme. Doubled spices in mix.
Im disappointed given the rave reviews of this recipe- the sauce tastes literally like blood it was so gross, I’m glad I tasted it before serving - I fed it to my chickens and they liked it
Really enjoyed but a little salty.