Pork Chops With Apples and Cider

By David Tanis

Pork Chops With Apples and Cider
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
About 1 hour
Rating
5(3,084)
Comments
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There are some culinary combinations that cannot be improved upon, and apples and pork is surely one of them. This recipe calls for pan-frying boneless pork chops and serving them with butter-browned apples and a Normandy-style sauce made with cider and cream. It makes for a perfect cold weather meal.

Featured in: A Taste of Fall in a Bottle of Hard Cider

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the Spiced Salt

    • ¼teaspoon black peppercorns
    • 3cloves
    • 4allspice berries
    • 2tablespoons roughly chopped sage
    • 1and ½ tablespoons kosher salt

    For the Pork and Sauce

    • 6boneless pork chops, 4 ounces each, about ½-inch thick
    • 2large apples
    • 2tablespoons butter
    • All-purpose flour, for dusting
    • ½cup hard cider, plus 2 tablespoons
    • 2teaspoons Dijon mustard
    • 1and ½ cups chicken broth
    • 2teaspoons potato starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
    • 3tablespoons crème fraîche
    • 1tablespoon Calvados, apple brandy or Cognac, optional
    • 2tablespoons finely cut chives
    • 2tablespoons chopped parsley
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

337 calories; 16 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 693 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the spice salt: Put peppercorns, cloves, allspice and sage in a spice mill or mortar and grind to a powder. Remove to a bowl and stir in salt. Season pork chops on both sides with salt mixture. (There will be some salt mixture remaining; use it to season the sauce, Step 4.) Cover and leave chops at room temperature to absorb seasonings for at least 30 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Peel, quarter and core apples, then cut each apple into 12 wedges. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a wide skillet and raise heat to medium-high. Add apple wedges in one layer and brown gently on one side, about 2 minutes. Brown on the other side and cook for 2 minutes more, or until apples are cooked through but still firm. Remove apples from pan and keep warm.

  3. Step 3

    Add 1 tablespoon butter to pan and swirl to melt. Dust pork chops with flour, and place in pan and brown gently for about 4 minutes per side. Adjust heat if necessary to keep pork from cooking too quickly. Remove chops and keep warm on a platter in a low oven. Discard remaining butter.

  4. Step 4

    Add ½ cup cider to pan, raise heat to high and cook down to a syrup. Add mustard and chicken broth, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add potato starch and stir with a wire whisk as the sauce thickens. Stir in crème fraîche. Season to taste with remaining spiced salt. Add 2 tablespoons cider and the Calvados, if using. Cook for 1 minute more.

  5. Step 5

    Spoon sauce over the chops, then spoon the apples around the platter. Sprinkle with chives and parsley.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,084 user ratings
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Comments

Linda

I have been using a low heat technique that produces a moist chop every time. They must be at least 1/2-3/4" thick, start with room temp chops in no heated pan then turn heat to medium.

Zing's Mom

For those using dried spices, you may find these conversions helpful. For every 8 peppercorns called for, use 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper in its place. Use one teaspoon of whole cloves in place of 3/4 teaspoon of ground cloves (so that's 1 to 1/3 times as many whole cloves as ground cloves). 6 whole allspice berries = 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground allspice. 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage = 1 teaspoon dried sage https://www.thespruceeats.com/

Figaro

I prepared this dish last night and my husband said, "This is really lovely." That's high praise from him and we both cleaned our plates. I served it with Mark Bittman's Potato Nik. The apples really steal the show.

My cheats: used extra heavy cream, added applesauce to thicken, used brandy and a TB of cider vinegar for tang. Next time I might add a pinch of cinnamon to the rub.

BK

I don’t get how this recipe has earned 5 stars. It’s fine…but nothing special and not worth the effort. Based on reviews, I reduced salt to 1 T and that was still way too much. The sauce tasted ok but was sort of gray and off putting. Would def not make again.

John S, Ashland, OR.

Great recipe! Get thicker chops though

john

we both liked it. I cooked pork in oven with potatoes 350 degrees for an hour then 400 for 10 minutes

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