Roasted Pork Chops With Drunken Honeycrisp Apples
(from largomason’s recipe box)
Don’t add too much liquid to the simmering apples because they’ll release juice of their own.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 double-cut pork chops, 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch thick, about 8 ounces each
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fresh juice from 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup low-sodium store-bought or homemade chicken broth
Directions
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Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
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Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl and stir to combine. Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel and season both sides with seasoning mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until lightly smoking. Add pork to pan and cook without moving until well browned on first side, about 4 minutes. Flip and transfer skillet to oven. Continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of thickest section of chop registers 145°F, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large plate, tent with foil, and allow to rest.
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While pork cooks, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add apples, a pinch of salt salt, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, rum, and water to pan, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until apples are almost tender, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch lemon juice and add to simmering apple mixture. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes longer. Set aside and keep warm.
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When pork is cooked, return skillet to a burner set over high heat. Add wine and cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Add chicken broth and cook, simmering until sauce is reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Off heat, swirl in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Serve pork with sauce and apples.