A man’s stomach may be the portal to his heart, but a woman’s can be accessed in many ways, not the least of which is returning to one’s abode to find a home-cooked meal waiting and not having to clean up afterwards. I’m lucky in this regard. Sous Chef is an excellent cook, selects great wines, and cleans up as he cooks. If I’m having a down day, I can count on him to lift my spirits (usually with a stiff cocktail). That’s just one of the reasons Sous Chef is the “apple of my eye.”
Sous Chef surprised me a week ago with one of his best meals ever, “Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Onions.” This dish is all sorts of goodness – comforting, beautiful, and damn tasty! Oh, and did I mention the Bourbon- Dijon cream sauce that accompanied it? Heaven! The pork is slightly charred from pan browning and then put in the oven to bathe in this boozy-based cream sauce while it finished cooking. The end result is a moist, tender pork chop topped with a sauce that will tempt you to lick your plate. (In some countries I’ve heard that licking your plate is like foreplay to the gourmand.)
This dish was paired with a 2013 Landmark Vineyards Overlook Pinot Noir. It is made from grapes sourced from three California Coastal regions – Sonoma, Monterey, and San Benito – and is aged 10 months in French oak barrels. In the glass, the wine exhibits a beautiful ruby color and there are aromas of plum, cola, anise, and red currant. This wine is well balanced and has soft tannins and a moderate ABV of 14.4%. Pinot Noir is a most food-friendly and versatile wine. This was no exception and will pair well with pork, duck, eggplant, and cheeses. We loved this wine so much, we bought a few extra bottles. It’s a great everyday value at $20. Trust me: it’s hard to find $20 Pinot Noirs that are of such high quality.
In need of some Valentine’s Day Inspiration? The Wine Pairing Weekend Group has prepared the ultimate Valentine’s Day pairings for you. Join our live Twitter Chat Saturday, February 13th 8 am PST/11 am EST using #WinePW.
Jade from Tasting Pour:
– Love Letter Pastries and Brandborg Winery Pinot Noir
Jeff from Food Wine Click – Perfect Wine for a Sparkling Valentine’s Day Celebration
Martin of Enofylz Wine Blog – Valentine’s Surf and Turf with a Twist and Champagne Pairing
Nancy from Pull That Cork – Shepherd’s Pie and Burgundy: A Cozy Valentine’s Day Pairing
Kirsten of The Armchair Sommelier – My Squashy Valentine
Jennifer from Vino Travels – Sparkle Your Valentine’s Day with Brachetto from the Roero with Demarie
David of Cooking Chat –
–Cauliflower Kale Soup paired with Pinot
-Sweet Strawberry Cream with Chocolate and Wine Pairing
Michelle from Rockin Red Blog – Valentine’s Day in the South of France with #WinePW
Sarah from Curious Cuisiniere – Gougeres (French Cheese Puffs) and Blanquette de Limoux
Cindy from Grape Experiences:
– A Valentine’s Gift: Elegant Anaba Wines
–Cava and Crave Worthy Chocolate Cookies for Valentine’s Day
Lori from Draceana Wines – Need a Valentine’s Wine? As You Wish.
Diana from Wine Pass shares – Valentine Risotto and Rich Chocolate Beet Cake with Brachetto d’Acqui
Valerie of Girls Gotta Drink – A Moscato Food Pairing: Moscato for Breakfast Anyone?
Wendy from A Day in the Life on A Farm – Asian Tuna and Noodles with Rodney Strong Pinot Noir
Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla :
-Cherry-Glazed Chicken with Hahn’s Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
-Barley Stuffed Acorn Squash & Zesty Crayfish with Landmark Vineyards’ Overlook Chardonnay
-Wild Boar Mushroom Pot Pies with Landmark Vineyards’ Overlook Pinot Noir
-Seared Venison Medallions with Justin’s Cabernet Sauvignon
-Rosé-Cured Salmon with Balletto Vineyards’ Brut Rosé
-Epoisses, Crackers, & Cremant de Limoux
Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva:
-Valentine’s Day Steakhouse Dinner at Home
-50 Oysters a Day & Other Tales of Seduction
-Pick a Picpoul de Pinet for Your Valentine
-Apple of My Eye Pork Chops & Pinot
-Lobster, Corn Fritters & Balletto
Join us for a live Valentine’s Wine Pairing Twitter chat at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, February 13, using the hashtag #winePW. And get ready for the March #winePW, where we will share our Open That Bottle Night experiences. Check out the upcoming and past Wine Pairing Weekend events on this page.
- 2 - 6 ounce bone-in pork rib chops 1 to 1¼ inches thick
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Granny Smith Apples, sliced into wedges
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Bourbon
- 8 small fresh thyme springs
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Sprinkle both sides of the pork with salt and pepper.
- Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat (approximately 1 min) add olive oil and heat for about 30 seconds. Add pork chops and cook 2½ minutes per side. The pork chops should be golden brown color. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the apples and onion to the pan, cook for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the broth to pan and cook 2 minutes, stirring to loosen browned pits. Whisk in the cream and mustard, stirring constantly 1-2 minutes or until bubbly.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the bourbon. Add the pork, turn to coat, top with apples, onion and thyme.
- Bake for 10 minutes or just until liquid is beginning to bubble. Rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Sounds wonderful! Love pork chops and this looks like a delicious version. Need to try!
That pork sounds amazing! We’ll be giving this one a try soon!
Beautiful flowers and wine. What a terrific pairing. It looks like those pork chops were done to perfection!