Classic combination = Pork + Apple

I usually don't order pork chop at restaurants... just because most of pork chops that I ordered were too dry! Pork chop is very very juicy and delicious when you cook perfectly, but also very easy to be dried out when you overcook.

Why do you pay $25 at restaurant to have that dry pork chop? It is only $5 per chop at butcher's, and it is really easy and simple to cook pork chop at home. Season with salt and pepper, sear both sides at high heat (about 10 minutes) and finish in an oven (another 10 minutes).

I am sure you will love your 20-minute pork chop just with salt and pepper... but I cannot really finish my post with three sentences. So... here I made my pork chop with an apple. Apple and pork is such a classic combination that is so hard to fail.


Pork Chop with Apple
Sweet simple pork chop

(Yield: 2 servings / Cooking time: 40 minutes)

Ingredients:
+ one apple*
+ one pomegranate
+ 1/2 tsp brown sugar
+ 1 cup of white wine
+ half stick of cinnamon
+ a few black peppercorns
+ 1 Tbsp butter
+ two pork chop (with bone, preferably)
+ salt and pepper

* Any crisp kinds should work. I used Fuji, because I love its crispiness and sweet flavor. You can use Honeycrisp or Gala.



Procedures:
1. First preheat your oven at 350°F (177°C).

2. Peel an apple and cut into 12 wedges.


3. Pour wine in a wide pan and add sugar, cinnamon stick, pepper corns and apple wedges. Over low heat, reduce the wine until the apples are softened and most of the alcohol have evaporated. Actually you can cook pork while the wine is reducing. Turn the apples to make sure they are cooked evenly. When your pork is ready to eat the wine should be reduced enough.

Before


After


4. This step is totally optional. I cleaned the bones on pork chop by scrapping out the flesh on the bones with a knife. This process is called "manchonner" in French... yes, it is a French technique, AND, in US, we call it "frenching". Funny.

Before


After


5. Make sure your pork chops are at room temperature, not right out of your refrigerator. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides, and in a hot pan sear one side until it is golden brown with lots of oil.


6. Flip the pork chop and make sure the other side is seared golden brown color also. Put the seared pork chops in the preheated oven. Please make sure your pan is okay to go into hot oven... for example, it should not have a plastic handle. Cook until the pork chop is thoroughly cooked, after about 10 minutes... but the cooking time varies depending on the thickness of pork chop. Internal temperature of the pork should be 140°F (60°C) - slightly pink in color.


7. Take out cooked pork chops from the oven and set aside for 2 minutes. This process is called "resting". Resting helps the juice be distributed evenly throughout the meat, and relax the meat to give it a more soft texture.

8. While your pork chops are resting, add one table spoon of butter and swirl into your reduced wine.

9. Plate a pork chop with cooked apple wedges and the wine/butter sauce, and sprinkle some pomegranate seeds. Maybe with simple green salad?

Enjoy!