Try this Pork Chops with Apples recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 4 (6- to 8-oz.) bone-in pork rib chops (1 to 1 1/4 inches thick)
- 1/2 up dry white wine
- 1 medium-size sweet onion thinly sliced
- 3 granny smith apples peeled, cored, halved, and sliced
- 1/3 up chicken broth (i use kitchen basics unsalted chick which is gluten free)
- Carbohydrate 20.5922450035824 g
- Cholesterol 20.550000017372 mg
- Fat 8.08128750714419 g
- Fiber 3.86981262471709 g
- Protein 1.36669125218496 g
- Saturated Fat 3.76626950312736 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (173g)
- Sodium 479.823775494272 mg
- Sugar 16.7224323788653 g
- Trans Fat 0.474675000339571 g
- Calories 149 calories
Step-by-step
- Blot pork chops dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and add pork chops.
- Turn heat to high and sear chops 2-3 minutes on each side, until brown on each side.
- Remove chops to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add butter.
- When butter is melted, add onions to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least twenty minutes.
- You may need to add a little water or turn the heat down.
- Add apple slices and continue to cook ten more minutes.
- Add wine, scraping up brown bits from the pan.
- Cook until wine is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.
- Add broth to skillet and cook 1 – 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Whisk together the cream and mustard and add to skillet, stirring constantly until bubbling, about 2 minutes.
- Add chops back to skillet, turning to coat and scooping apples and onion over the top of the chops.
- Sprinkle thyme into skillet.
- Cook additional 10-15 minutes, turning chops occasionally, until the chops are tender and done.
Thick-cut bone-in pork chops require a high initial sear to develop a deep exterior crust via the Maillard reaction without overcooking the interior meat. Searing at high heat for two to three minutes per side creates flavorful browned compounds called fond on the bottom of the skillet. This fond acts as the flavor base for the pan sauce when deglazed with dry white wine. Utilizing fresh Granny Smith apples rather than canned or dehydrated fruit introduces essential malic acid and pectin. Fresh fruit holds its structural integrity during the twenty-minute braise, contrasting sharply with the soft, caramelized sweet onions cooked alongside them. Bottled lemon juice lacks the volatile aromatic oils found in freshly squeezed citrus, which brighten the heavy whipping cream and Dijon mustard emulsion. Dried thyme can substitute for fresh thyme at a one-to-three ratio, though volatile flavor compounds diminish significantly in dried herbs. Swapping heavy cream for whole milk will curdle upon contact with the acid from the wine and lemon juice due to insufficient milk fat stabilization. Simmering the pork chops gently in the combined broth and cream mixture for ten to fifteen minutes allows collagen within the bone and muscle fibers to soften. Monitoring the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer ensures the meat remains juicy rather than dry.
