Elevated Pork Chops and Fennel Applesauce
This Elevated Pork Chops and Fennel Applesauce recipe is a great way to enhance an American classic, adding an interesting, delicious twist!
Ingredients
For the Brine (Optional - see note)
- 1.5 cups water
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 black peppercorns
- 3.5 cups ice water
- 4 thick cut pork chops – preferably boneless and trimmed of excess fat
For the Pork Chops
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest – finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoon butter
For the Fennel Applesauce
- 1 small fennel bulb (175g) chopped
- 2 large apples*, prepared (peeled and cored – 425g) in large dice
- 50 g celery – peeled to remove the outer fibers and cut into ½” chunks
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Brine the Pork (see note)
- Add the water to a pot with the salt, sugar, bay leaves and peppercorns and bring to a boil, stirring so that the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add to the ice water and stir. Combine with the pork chops in a large pan or a zip-top bag and refrigerate the pork chops in the brine for at least 6 hours or overnight (for best results).
- Remove the pork chops, rinse with cold water and pat completely dry. Set aside in the refrigerator until you are ready for cooking.
Make the Applesauce
- The applesauce can be made ahead (and doubled if you like leftovers). Add all the ingredients except for the celery to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the celery and continue to cook until the fennel is soft and no longer crunchy – about 15 minutes. Remove to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and carefully puree until smooth. Set aside. This can be served with the pork hot, cold or room temperature, but the best flavor will be at room temperature.
Cook the Pork Chops
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Take your dried pork chops and sprinkle with the black pepper. Meanwhile, combine the sage, mustard, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Combine the eggs and water and beat until they are combined and scrambled thoroughly. Combine the salt and breadcrumbs on a plate and set aside.
- Coat each pork chop with some flour so they are completely covered with a light flour coating. Then gently coat with a portion of the mustard mixture (do these individually). After the mustard, dip in the egg/water combination, then onto the plate of breadcrumbs, pressing down to get the breadcrumbs encrusted on the pork chops.
- In a large skillet – melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook for about 1 minute per side, or until the breadcrumbs have just started to brown and have soaked up some butter. Gently remove to a pan and put them in the preheated oven.
- After about 13 minutes, check the temperature in the center of the pork with an instant read thermometer. They usually take about 15-20 minutes if they are thick pork chops (about 1.5”). The target temperature is 143° F. Once they are done, remove and let rest for 5 minutes, then plate with the applesauce and serve with extra applesauce on the side.
Notes
The brine ensures that the pork turns out juicy and enhances the flavor. We HIGHLY recommend including this step when making this recipe for best results.
We often make the applesauce in advance and keep it in the fridge to snack on as well as serve with this dish.
Use sweet apples for this recipe. Our favorite is Kiku, but we have also used and recommend one of the following that you should be able to find: Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Jazz, or Envy. There are many varieties that will work, so feel free to use what you have available to you.
Nutrition
Calories: 618kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 40gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 243mgSodium: 1507mgPotassium: 1058mgFiber: 7gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 744IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 163mgIron: 4mg
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