The other night, the mister and his good friend Jack had themselves a rollicking fest of fun. They rolled in about 8:30 PM and asked what was for dinner. Dinner? You mean the dinner that was hot and ready to eat at 7:00 PM?!? That dinner? Oh. Sorry you missed it. It was delicious. And then...the mister, buoyed by his good friend Jack, had the temerity to say, "Well, if I'd known you were cooking dinner I would have been home earlier!" If he'd KNOWN...it's only been THIRTY DARN YEARS that I've cooked dinner every stinkin' night!! And then he said, "Why didn't YOU let me know?!?" And there is it. It's my fault that I cooked him a nice dinner...my fault that I had it ready for him when he usually arrives home from Global Headquarters...my fault that I didn't CALL HIM...my fault. Is it too much to ask that the mister be given a screen writer to follow him around 24/7 and hand him little gems to say at the appropriate time? Really, is that too much to ask? Because in my way of thinking, that screen writer could have handed him a piece of paper that said, "Gee, honey, I'm so sorry, I just got carried away and it will never happen again and you're the most wonderful, beautiful person on the planet and my life would be crap without you, please forgive me!" And I would have dug his pork chop out of the trash, washed it off, reheated it and served it up with a smile on my face. I would have. I'm that kind of gal.
Pork chops can be kind of bland but this recipe is in no way bland! My pork chops were about 1 1/2-inches thick so I pounded them down so they would cook faster. First I seared them in an oven-proof skillet, 5 minutes on each side; then removed them to a plate while I made the sauce, which takes all of 5 minutes! Butter, apple cider vinegar, cream, Dijon mustard and a sprig of rosemary...that's it! And let me tell you, it's dang good...as in dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good! Yep, 5 dangs my friends...full of flavor, sauce so delicious you'll want to use a straw...and don't get all hung up on the fact that there is cream and butter in it...it's okay...you just spoon about a tablespoon over each chop so that's practically no calories at all!
To make sure the pork chops are cooked perfectly I use a meat thermometer...165 degrees is where I like them...so after the sauce is made I put the chops back into the skillet, swirl them around a bit and then pop them into a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking...lip-smackin'-drool-inducing-good!
Pork Chops With Rosemary-Mustard Sauce - Me
3 pork chops, about 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick, fat trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves left on stem
1/2 cup cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a Zip-lock style bag, flatten pork chops with a rolling pin, until about 1/2-inch thick. Salt and pepper both sides of chops. In an oven-proof skillet heat olive oil. Add pork chops to the skillet and let cook for about 5 minutes, check after about 4 to make sure they are seared and not burned. Turn over and cook for additional 4 to 5 minutes. Remove chops to a plate and keep warm by covering with foil. Pour out any remaining oil from pan. Over medium-high heat, melt butter in the pan and whisk in vinegar and Dijon mustard. Add in sprig of rosemary, whole, and slowly pour in cream, whisking continuously. Reduce heat and add pork chops and any juices that may have collected on the plate to skillet. Stir to blend and spoon sauce over chops. Check inner temperature of chops with a meat thermometer or cut into them to see if they are done, if not, pop into oven until center of pork chop temperature reaches 165 degrees or they are done to your liking, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve by spooning additional sauce on top. Serves 3.