Pork Chops with Apples and Herb Mustard Gravy

Creative recipe name right?  What I wanted to call this recipe was BIG ASS Pork Chops with apples, but what if kids are reading this?  And by kids I mean Master Chef Junior wannabes.  And side note, if you are reading this, and ARE a Master Chef Junior wannabe or former contestant, I am so flattered!

It's apple picking season here in New Jersey.   I look forward to our yearly excursion to pick apples and then reward ourselves with warm apple cider donuts and apple cider.   After all, you do get a ton of steps walking the orchards looking for the apples that make the cut to bring back home.

If you are wondering what happens to the apples that don't make the cut they get thrown.  Carter clearly has a pitching arm.  And apple picking is even more fun now that I have a toddler who loves all things apple picking too.  

Every day Carter used to ask for a "nana" aka banana, but since apple picking this past weekend he wants an apple in the morning and an apple in the evening.  

Considering we bought a gagillion (I'm making gagillion a thing) apples, I oblige his requests.  Plus a little natural fiber can't hurt...  While I love apples too, especially with yogurt dip or cashew butter, I often need a break from eating them in their raw state.  And apples and pork are a tried and true fantastic pair.

Anyone who knows me knows I love pork and sweet and savory combinations are my jam.  My Pork Chops with Apples and Herb Mustard Gravy is both sweet and savory.  This recipe uses apples and apple cider, not apple cider vinegar.  When I hear "apple cider" I automatically think of vinegar so it's important we clarify that now since the two, while fabulous, are not the same.  However, I love apple cider vinegar, and have made this recipe sans apple cider with ingredients most people keep in their cupboard pantry (us small house folk don't have pantries).  If  you don't have apple cider, an alternate sauce base is 2 ounces apple cider vinegar, 2 ounces chicken stock, and 2 teaspoons honey combined.  Feel free to use smaller pork chops and or boneless, but adjust the cooking time accordingly.  While restaurants may tell you that the chef recommends a medium rare pork, I do not like, nor recommend eating pork raw.  Neither does the USDA who make the following recommendation when cooking pork:

Cook all raw pork steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.  (Link to full article here)

Now on to the recipe.  If you try it, let me know how you like it and leave me some love in the comments below.

Pork Chops with Apples and Herb Mustard Gravy

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 bone in pork chops, 1.5-2 inches thick (the thicker the better... am I  right?  You know I am)
• 2 apples, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 8 tablespoons apple cider, divided
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs (I like rosemary and thyme)
• 1/4 teaspoon Wondra flour
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat  oven to 400 degrees
2. Season pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in oven safe pan over medium-high heat.  Cook pork chops for 5 minutes per side or until browned
4. Once pork chops are browned on both sides add 6 tablespoons of apple cider to pan and immediately place in the oven to finish baking for 10-15 minutes or until pork reaches an internal temperature of 145-160 degrees
5. While pork is baking, melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add apples and remaining 2 tablespoons of apple cider and cook moving apples  around in pan for 5-10 minutes until apples are browned and beginning to soften.  Once cooked, remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste
6. Once pork is cooked remove from pan and allow to rest for 3 minutes
7. While pork rests whisk in mustard and herbs into pork pan drippings until combined.  Whisk in Wondra flour for one minute to thicken sauce
8. Serve pork chops over sautéed apples.  Top with pan dripping gravy

I recommend serving the pork chops with sheet pan roasted potatoes and asparagus (recipe to follow so stay tuned).  In the meantime check out my other potato and asparagus recipes:

Roasted Asparagus
Crispy Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

For those of you who didn't notice I will now be providing links to printable versions of my recipes.  Ideally I will  update all my recipes with printable links in the future, but cut a girl some slack while I enjoy the end of my maternity leave with Luke.

Italian Sausage, Pepper, Green Onion and Cheddar Quiche

Quiche is one of my favorite entrees.  It is a people pleaser regardless if you have it in the AM, brunch, or PM.  In my opinion, quiche is a great dinner staple, and I personally love breakfast for dinner.  If you use a premade pie crust, the only "hard" part about quiche is waiting for it to cook.

Kid tested, mother approved

Quick and easy meals that I can make after I put my son to bed are also a must.  And what is quicker than letting your entree come to room temperature or heating it in the oven for a few minutes until warm while you whip up a delicious side salad?  Exactly... Quiche is a great busy week night meal.

I love my Italian Sausage, Pepper, Green Onion and Cheddar Quiche recipe for a number of reasons.   You can make the sausage, peppers, and onions ahead of time and assemble the quiche the day you plan to serve it.  Or you can make it during the Super Bowl for dinner the following night... It was that or sleep.  Just saying.

Some notes before we begin.  I use the whole green onion, but if you prefer a milder taste then use the green parts only.  You can use any type of bell pepper, and while green or red peppers might be more visually appealing, I do not like the taste of either and they don't agree with my tummy.  Hey, it is my recipe and my preferences.  Feel free to substitute half and half or cream for the milk, but I find milk goes better when you have rich fillings, and Italian sausage and cheddar cheese are as rich as you get.   And while you can use any type of a sausage I highly, highly, highly recommend Premio Sweet & Hot Italian Sausage.

It is the perfectly seasoned and they sell their sausage without the casings.  I substitute Premio Italian sausage in so many recipes that call for ground beef from bolognese, to meatballs, to meatloaf.  I particularly love this Italian sausage mix.  It is the perfect ratio of sweet with a little heat. And if you are thinking that Premio sponsored this post they did not.  No one did.  But Premio, if you want to sponsor any future posts call me!

Now that I'm thinking about it I realize that most of my favorite dishes are either vegetarian or involve pork of some sort.  I mean sausage, pepperoni, bacon, pork chops, ham...  Can you be a porkatarian?  Click here for my other pork based quiche recipe.

While this is my recipe and my preferences, feel free to substitute ingredients based on your preferences.  That's the beauty of cooking.  And leave me a comment if you enjoyed this recipe. 

Italian Sausage, Pepper, Green Onion and Cheddar Quiche

Ingredients:

• 2 green onions chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup diced orange bell pepper (about 1/2 of large pepper) 
• 1 lb Italian sausage (mix of 2 hot links and 4 sweet links)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided in half
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 frozen deep dish pie crust

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place pie crust on baking sheet
2. Remove sausage from casings.  Brown sausage (without oil, butter, or  cooking spray) in a large pan over medium high heat.  While browning sausage break into bite sized pieces

3. Once browned transfer sausage with a slotted spatula / spoon to paper towel lined bowl.  Make sure to keep the left over grease in the pan for sauteing the veggies

Yep, Rocky was waiting for a sausage sample.  How could I say no to that face?

4. In the same pan used to cooked the sausage, saute peppers and onions in sausage grease over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes
5. Remove paper towel from bowl with sausage.  Add cooked peppers and onions to bowl with sausage and mix to combine ingredients

Be careful, your family might try to eat the filling when you're not looking 

6. Whisk together eggs and milk until incorporated and season with salt and pepper to taste

7. Fill pie crust with half of the sausage mixture

8. Top sausage filling with 1 cup cheese

9. Add remaining sausage mixture over cheese

10. Pour egg mixture over sausage filling

11. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese

12. Bake quiche at 350 degrees preheated oven for 50-55 minutes until eggs are set (a toothpick inserted should come out clean) and cheese is browned
13.  Allow quiche to rest for 20-30 minutes before serving
 
Or if you made the quiche the day before like I did, allow it to come to room temperature.  I know some people like cold quiche, but I'm not some people.  I personally cut a slice and let it warm in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, but my husband and son like it room temperature.  What's your quiche temperature preference?  Are you a warm, room temperature, or "some people" cold type?