Garlic Honey Pork Chops

Served with wild rice and green beans.

The sauce on this is delicious. Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients

• 4 1-1 1/2 inch boneless pork chops
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp dry white wine
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp cornstarch
  

Directions

1. Mix honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, and sherry together.  Place together with chops in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Heat cast iron skillet over high heat. Place chops in pan and sear on both sides.
4. Pour remaining marinade over chops, place skillet in oven.
   
5. Cook for 25 minutes or until chops are cooked through.
6. Remove chops from pan, place pan back on stove over medium heat.
   
7. Bring marinade to boiling, mix water and cornstarch and add to marinade to make a glaze.
   
8. Dredge chops through glaze and serve.
   

Bleu Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon with Port Wine Sauce

Takes some work, but entirely worth it. My mom made this on Valentine’s day, it was the best filet I’ve ever had, and cooked to a perfect medium-rare. I didn’t care much for the sauce, but my family liked it. Recipe here.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup minced white onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 1/2 cup port wine
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4 filet mignon steaks (1 1/2 inch thick)
• 3/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly, until onion is tender.
2. Stir in the beef broth, scraping any onion bits from the bottom of the pan, then stir in the port wine.
3. Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced to about 1/2 cup. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F.
5. Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Sear steaks quickly on both sides until brown, then place the whole pan into the oven.
6. Roast steaks in the oven for about 15 minutes for medium-rare (with an internal temperature of 145F). Adjust this time to allow the steaks to finish just below your desired degree of doneness if medium is not what you prefer.
7. Remove from the oven and place on a baking sheet. Stir together the panko crumbs and bleu cheese. Top each steak with a thick layer of this mixture.
8. Preheat the oven’s broiler. Place steaks under the preheated broiler until the cheese topping is browned and bubbly (about 3-4 minutes).
9. Remove from the oven, and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with warm port sauce.

Sauteed Pork Medallions with Lemon-Garlic Sauce

 

My mom found this recipe in an ad in a magazine. Delicious, and the sauce was wonderful on the vegetables, as well.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• grated lemon zest and 1 tbsp. lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley OR 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh sage or rosemary

Directions

1. Cut pork into 12, 1-inch thick slices. Sprinkle on all sides with 1/8 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
2.  Heat 1 tsp. oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add pork and cook, turning once, until pork is browned an internal temperature reaches 145F, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Transfer to serving platter and cover to keep warm.
4. Add remaining 1 tsp. oil to skillet. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant (about 30 seconds).
5. Add wine and broth. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until liquid is reduced by 2/3 (about 5 minutes).
6. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining salt and pepper, the lemon zest and juice, and the parsley.
7. Serve medallions drizzled with sauce.

Roasted, Brined Turkey Breast with Maple-Worcestershire Gravy

Made this for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely the best turkey I’ve ever had. (Yeah, I’m a *little* behind on posts.) Recipe from Food Network.

Turkey Ingredients

• Jumbo sized plastic food bag (3-5 gallon recommended) or another container large enough to fit turkey breast
• 1 gallon spring water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 6 fresh bay leaves
• 2 large shallots, quartered lengthwise
• palmful coriander seeds
• palmful black peppercorns
• palmful paprika
• palmful poultry seasoning
• 1/2 palmful allspice berries
• 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped or sliced
• 1 (6-7 lb.) whole turkey breast

Turkey Directions

1. Place all seasonings in the large bag and shake to combine.
2. Add turkey breast to bag. Seal and let brine for 24 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 400F.
4. Remove turkey breast from brine and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper and place in roasting pan.
5. Roast at 400F for 30 minutes.
6. Baste, reduce temperature to 325F and cook until interior temperature is 170F, about 40 minutes.
7. Remove turkey breast to cutting board, cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes.
8. Carve and serve with pan juices and gravy.

Gravy Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup dark amber maple syrup
• lots of coarsely ground black pepper

Gravy Directions

1. Add butter to a sauce pot and melt over medium to medium-high heat.
2. Add shallots and thyme and saute for two minutes.
3. Add flour and stir for one minute.
4. Whisk in stock, Worcestershire, and maple syrup.
5. Season with black pepper to taste.
6. Reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10-12 minutes.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

Made this tonight to go on some egg rolls. I’m not normally a fan, but this was pretty good. Recipe from here.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 4 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ketchup
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 4 tsp. water

Directions

1. Mix rice vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce and bring to a rolling boil.
2. Add cornstarch mixture and stir to thicken. Cook for another minute or two and remove from heat.