We went out recently to a nice restaurant, and my husband's meat (I remember it not) was sitting atop a pile of creamed leeks. He ate around them. Travesty! I set about showing him, in the privacy of our own home, that leeks need not be surrounded by potato to be edible. Next time, I'll show him that leeks need not be simmered in cream to be edible. Baby steps, people.
Wine pairing: a rosé côtes-du-rhône, lightly chilled
(Just kidding, y'all - I'm not quite there yet)
This recipe is adapted from one from the Bon Appetit cookbook. There was nothing especially wrong with it, but I didn't need to cook the apples nearly as long as the directions said, and I found the addition of sugar superfluous. I left out allspice from the brine and apple brandy from the apples, having neither. It's my first attempt at brining -- I've been dry-rubbing my pork chops for a couple years now. Success! Succulent, apple-flavored pork, the saltiness perfectly matched by the mild sweetness of the leeks.
Pork
2.5 cups apple cider
2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 bay leaf
2 bone-in center-cut pork rib chops
olive oil to brush on chops before broiling/grilling
Leeks
1 tablespoon butter
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
1/3 cup whipping cream
Apples
1 tablespoon butter
1 big Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, halved, each half cut into 4 wedges
1/4 water
1/4 cup apple cider
The night before:
Bring 2 cups cider, salt, and bay leaf to boil in large saucepan, stirring to dissolve salt. Cool completely. Place pork in a glass pie dish. Pour brine over. Cover; refrigerate overnight.
Melt 1 tbsp. butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.
Melt 1 tbsp. butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.
The day of:
Melt 1 tbsp. butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add apples and sauté 10 minutes, or until apples are golden on all sides. Add water, then 1/4 cup cider. Simmer until liquid thickens slightly and apples are tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Prepare barbecue (medium heat) or preheat broiler. Drain pork. Rinse under cold water; pat dry. Brush pork with oil. Grill or broil to desired doneness, about 4-5 minutes per side for medium.
Meanwhile, rewarm leeks, thinning with 1 to 2 tablespoons water if necessary. Bring apples to simmer. Spoon leeks onto plates. Top with pork, then apples.
Congratulations! You've now used every pan in your house.
Makes 2 servings.
3 comments:
Wow--you're quite the (um, quick--how do you spell gouromand?) foodie. Are you sure we're biologically related? Nothing like my cooking. I did, however, love it when you described my cinnamon toast as scrumptious in the previous post. Can one make anything but scrumptious cinnamon toast?
Mom
I wish you could cook as well as I do. For example, tonight for dinner I opened a package of tuna, dumped it on a whole wheat english muffin, squirted a lemon and sprinkled some parmesan on it, then ate it over the sink. Beat that!
Hey, I have some meals from my Knoxville days that would knock your socks off. To wit: 1 single serve bag of microwave popcorn eaten in front of the TV, 1 pint Ben & Jerry's (lo-carb, mind you) cookie dough ice cream, eaten in bed with a good book.
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