Sherried Pork Chops with Dijon Applesauce
You see, kid…what we got here is some pork chops, ya see. Porkchopsh and appleshaush, m’yeah. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. These things just go together. And now that I’ve either dated myself and/or publicly exhibited my fondness for Nick-at-Nite reruns, I should probably get down with one of my favorite midwestern classics. Wouldn’t that be swell?
A pork chop is a really cheap cut of meat. In these tough economic times, a tough cut of “the other white meat” seems to be the perfect meal to complement to our economic climate. Beef is just too damn expensive for a weekday meal for la familia. But, that is no reason why a pork chop should not taste just as good. Pork chops are notoriously dry, flavorless, and pretty much the meh meal of the week. 
That’s why you gotta put some stank on it! The way to get this dish away from the wonder bread classification of dry, bland, suburban Tuesday night with the family, is to add some booze and heat, dry sherry and dijon mustard. I don’t know why mustard and apple play so well together, but they do, and the sherry really binds the flavors. This meal is attractive, fragrant, and super savory-sweet with a bite.
No matter how you dress it up, there are pretty much two important rules for pork chops: don’t cheap out and don’t overcook it. Though I have no formal research to support it, I am willing to bet that dry pork chops are one of the leading causes of divorce. Get a good, thick (1.5″ minimum) bone-in pork chop and cook it to barely medium. Getting a quality cut from a local farmer and the risk for trichinosis drops to almost zero. Get it up to 150°, pull it off the heat, and let it rest for 5 minutes. A little pink is preferred!
Sherried Pork Chops with Dijon Applesauce
- 2 – 1.5″ bone-in pork chops
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1 golden delicious apple, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons sweet butter
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 7 sprigs of fresh thyme (2 for garnish)
- salt and pepper
Start by seasoning your pork chops on both sides with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. In a pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and sear the pork chops on both sides until browned. Turn down the heat to medium, add the sherry, apple juice, shallots, and apples. Cook down turning once, until pork is cooked through and sauce is reduced to a desired consistency. You should pull your pork from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. This will give your sauce enough time to finish. Stir in the dijon mustard for the last 2 minutes of cooking and mix well. The apples and shallots should be tender and well-incorporated into the sauce. Serve chops after resting, topped with dijon applesauce and garnished with a fresh thyme sprig.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (PER SERVING):
Servings: 2
Food energy: 751kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 17.03g
Monounsaturated fatty acids: 14.30g
Polyunsaturated fatty acids: 4.85g
Total fat: 36.18g
Calories from fat: 325
Cholesterol: 206mg
Carbohydrate, by difference: 24.58g
Total dietary fiber: 3.25g
Protein: 55.04g
Total lipid (fat): 47.98g
Water: 266.88g
Ash: 3.54g
Total sugars: 14.71g
Calcium: 125mg
Iron: 2.27mg
Magnesium: 58mg
Phosphorus: 521mg
Potassium: 874mg
Sodium: 543mg
Zinc: 6.38mg
Copper: 0.28mg
Manganese: 0.17mg
Selenium: 84.26μg
Vitamin C: 17.70mg
Thiamin: 1.13mg
Riboflavin: 0.77mg
Niacin: 18.09mg
Pantothenic acid: 2.67mg
Vitamin B6: 1.10mg
Folate, total: 5μg
Folic acid: --
Food folate: 5μg
Folate: 5μg dietary folate equivalents
Vitamin B12: 1.57μg
Vitamin A: 521IU
Vitamin A RAE: 114μg retinol activity equivalents
Retinol: 105μg
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol): 1.02mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone): 3.73μg
Alpha-carotene: --
Beta-carotene: 56μg
Beta-cryptoxanthin: 16μg
Lycopene: --
Lutein+zeazanthin: 39μg
Percent refuse: --
