by Oui, Chef
View
my 42 other recipes »
A&M's Testing Notes:
Expand CollapseOui, Chef's Notes:
Expand
2 cups
apple cider
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1 1/2 cup
water
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1/4 cup
kosher salt
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1/4 cup
lightly packed brown sugar
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1 tablespoon
black peppercorns
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
2 teaspoons
yellow mustard seeds
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
2
1" thick, bone-in center cut pork chops
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1/4 cup
calvados
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1
shallot, finely minced
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1 tablespoon
fresh thyme, finely minced
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1/3 cup
apple cider
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1/2 cup
heavy cream
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
2 teaspoons
dijon mustard
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
salt and pepper to taste
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
Place all brine ingredients in a medium saucepan, and stir over low heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
Ask the hotline about this step!Place chops in a single layer in a shallow pan, cover fully with brine, wrap and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, remove the chops from the brine, rinse well under cold water, and dry with paper towels before continuing.
Ask the hotline about this step!Heat 1-2 tablespoons of canola oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Add pork to skillet and sauté until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate; cover with foil and keep warm.
Ask the hotline about this step!Pour off excess oil, and deglaze the pan with the calvados over medium heat , scraping the bottom of the pan well, letting the brandy reduce to a glaze. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet over medium heat and add the shallots and thyme, and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in cream and cider; boil until mixture thickens to sauce consistency, about 3 minutes. Stir in mustard, season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and serve with the pork.
Ask the hotline about this step!I posted about my spin-off of your recipe on my blog: http://stillsimmering.wordpress.com/
Hope you don't mind! Let me know if you'd like me to credit you differently--I'm happy to edit as needed. Thanks again for the inspiration! Next time, I will follow your recipe more precisely, as I'm sure it's delicious as is.
Do you always need to use so much salt in the brine? Would love to "brine" but every recipe has so much salt,
I saw this recipe months ago and was counting down the days till I could get some fresh fall cider. My husband and I took one bite each and were floored with how amazing the flavor was. This will definitely be a fall dinner favorite. I am ever considering doing a pork crown roast for Christmas with this brine and sauce!
Funny you should write this today, because I just picked up my first bottle of cider of the season as well. I'll be making this dish again this weekend. So glad you liked it, thanks for letting me know. - S
please please please how do i unsubscribe from getting email notifications about additional comments on this and other recipes where i have commented? I do not want to get an email every time a new comment comes in. help?
You can unsubscribe from all email notifications -- just click on your username in the upper right corner of the screen, then go to "Edit your profile." At the very bottom, make sure this box isn't checked: "Check this box if you'd like email updates when people interact with you."
I have made this recipe twice now, once with a tenderloin and this week with chops. Absolutely amazing both times. This week, I didn't have brandy and used Jim Beam and apple juice - I'm sure that's not what you had in mind but it was delicious anyway! Even my 2-year-old had to make sure that each bite of pork chop had some sauce on it.
Jim Beam and apple juice...what a lucky 2 year old! Glad you like the dish and thanks for your kind words. - S
We made these for dinner a week or two ago, and the pork chops were absolutely divine. My husband and I were actually split on the sauce--I wasn't crazy about it, but he thought it was fantastic. Reading these other comments, I'm pretty sure I'm the weird one out. :D But I would make the brined pork chops again any day.
Glad you like the chops. You can always cut the sauce recipe in half to make just enough for your husband. Cheers - S
This is a fantastic recipe! I doubled the sauce recipe for a dinner of eight and there was more than enough to go around. I would recommend serving with something bitter like broccoli rabe or a potato-parsnip puree to balance the sweetness of the sauce. Also next time I will rinse the meat more thoroughly because it stayed quite salty after the brine. I also really appreciate the clarity and simplicity of the instructions--it was very easy to follow and I got the sense that everything had been made as easy as possible. After the party (which included a couple French who are not always that impressed by my cooking!) there was consensus that this meal was the best that I've prepared for friends this year.
Thanks, beetific! Yeah, you really do need to rinse the meat. Drying it well will also help it to achieve a great crust. I love broccoli rabe and I bet it would be perfect with this dish. Impressed some French guests, huh? Well done! - S
Boy did I love this! I, too, would double the mustard, although nothing stopped me from mopping up every drop of the sauce, without the extra mustard, with my finger. I had it with some pureed butternut squash, and it was absolutely wonderful. Next time I'd add some sauteed broccoli rabe or Belgian endive, a little bitter accent to the sweetness.
Glad you liked it! Broccoli rabe would be perfect with this! - S
I added more mustard (as you suggested) the last time I made this dish, and it WAS BETTER! Thx - S
Just made this tonight. Used Ice Cider instead of Calvados and had some yummy chops from our meat CSA. So delicious! Wasn't planning on serving bread with the meal but needed to pull a brioche roll out of the freezer to sop up all the wonderful sauce.
This recipe does make a lot of sauce....you did the only sensible thing. - S
The chops came out crusty, juicy and done perfectly. The sauce was too sweet for me and I would add more mustard next time. On the other hand, my husband loved it as is and had every last drop of it.
Sounds wonderful. Has anyone tried this using milk instead of cream or no cream at all?
This looks like a terrific recipe - I won't wait til fall to try it!
I made this last night with a heritage pork chop (very thick and more fat than other) using this brine, minus the sugar....delicious!!!
So happy to hear you liked the dish. I'm curious...how was the crust on the meat with the loss of the extra sugar in the marinade? Was there enough sugar from just the cider to give it a sweet, caramelized crust? Cheers - S
I want to make this but I don't want to buy a bottle of Calvados; can someone suggest a substitute for that ingredient? Thanks.
Congratulations, it's a brilliant recipe.
Congratulations! I knew you would win sooner or later, your food is so thought through and it looks delicious. A well deserved trophy!
I made this tonight--without the brine because I didn't plan ahead--and even without the brine it was delicious. Congrats!
Congratulations, Oui Chef! I'm looking forward to trying your recipe!
Chef,
I made this recipe tonight and it absolutely rocked. Your magic help me turn out the best chop of my life thus far. I could not get over how the apple cider spice permeated the meat. And the sauce...the sauce was both rich and light. My girlfriend would not stop gnawing at the completely stripped rib bones! Kudos to you, chef. Kudos to you...
Glad to hear you liked the dish, and that your girlfriend was so enthusiastic about it as well. Cheers - S
I will definitely try this recipe. I love sauces with cream and I especially love recipes without garlic. I generally cook for one or two, so this recipe is perfect for me.
This one got my vote only because I usually am only cooking for one and am not a big leftover fan. I made this and it was delicious, but think if I had done the braised shoulder (which I definitely will) I'd feel the same about it.
Both read really well and I wish I could have voted for both.
I would like to make this with pork tenderloin. Would I still need to brine it?
Melissa Clark is a food columnist for the New York Times and has written over 32 cookbooks, including the recent Cook This Now.
photo 1 of 13
photo 2 of 13
photo 3 of 13
If you forget to brine the chops overnight, even a few hours will make a difference.
photo 4 of 13
photo 5 of 13
It looks like they're kissing.
photo 6 of 13
photo 7 of 13
Deglazing with Calvados, also known as "le trou Normand," or the "Normandy hole" -- so named for the space that the alcohol creates in your stomach, allowing you to eat more!
photo 8 of 13
The thyme adds a nice herbal note to the sauce.
photo 9 of 13
photo 10 of 13
photo 11 of 13
More cider.
photo 12 of 13
photo 13 of 13
I tried this but made a basic mistake- I think the chops I used had been injected with brine previously. Brining them in the cider made them ridiculously salty. I'll be more choosy next time I buy the meat.