This recipe is dedicated to a very special day that I shared with someone special. A memory that will last forever and will be remembered every time I make this very special recipe.
It was this day, the middle of summer and the middle of my third year of medical school, I spontaneously got my kitty, Nala. This was spontaneous, but not impulsive by any means. I heavily researched cats and how to care for them for around two days before taking the leap and adopting her. Some might think this is not much time at all but for me that is a lot...Anyways...
I was distracted all day from my studies, emailing her foster mom and looking at other cats available for adoption. I wanted to meet her before making the official decision. I arranged for a time to go and anxiously awaited for that time to come. We pulled up to the house, not knowing what to expect, I nervously walked to the front door and...
*knock knock*
An old lady slowly opened the door. She lived alone with multiple foster cats, but they were all hiding, nowhere to be seen but everywhere to be smelled. She looked around and brought over "Bella" (now Nala). She was so precious, with her gray striped coat with hints of apricot, and shy but stayed in my arms and purred. She looked up at me with her eyes, so wide and innocent, her fur so soft.
Once I held her in my arms I knew that I wanted to take her home, but first we had to get a few things from Walmart but I won't go into details of that mess, but I'm glad I didn't have to deal with it alone.
She was so shy at first, she wouldn't even step out from under my bed! Not even to use her litter box, instead, she peed in my suitcase under my bed. I was a little frustrated because I just wanted to love her. But we eventually gave her some space when we went for dinner...
We had dinner at a restaurant I had been wanting to go to in Augusta for so long (5 years)!! Frog Hollow Tavern. It is the nicest restaurant in Augusta by far. The waitress told us the specials and one stood out to me. Honey brined pork chop with a peach compound butter. Doesn't that sound so intriguing?
The dishes came out and the presentation was stunning! A huge pork chop with a slice of compound butter and a side of their famous mac and cheese. As I sliced into the pork chop I was shocked by how tender and juicy it was! Cooked to the perfect doneness and my first bite felt like literal flavorful rainbows dancing on my tastebuds.
I have never been more impressed with a restaurant. I am grateful to have been treated to, not only one of the best dinners I have ever had, but a dinner that I could learn from and be inspired from. To be taken on a culinary journey that would help me with expand my culinary skills. This dish is inspired by that day and night.
Nala now has come out of her shell so much since that first day. She runs to me when I call her name, plays fetch with her spring toy with me, follows me around, and cuddles with me while we sleep. I never thought I would be a cat person but she really is an amazing companion and I like to think that I shaped her personality. Taking care of someone else helps you take care of yourself.
I hope you guys enjoy this recipe! I cannot recommend it enough! It is the perfect recipe to impress your someone special.
The star of the show is the compound butter, so if you do not eat pork, make the compound butter and replace pork with anything else!
If you do not own a sous vide you can cook your pork chops entirely on the pan, at a reduced heat, or cook in the oven at 350F for 30-60 minutes (check at 30 minutes to see doneness if working with thinner chops, check at 15). Make sure to get a nice brown crust on a pan after you cook it with whatever method.
Honey Spiced Pork Chops
Servings 2| Prep time: 5 minutes| Total time: 2-3 hours
Ingredients
2 pork chops (around 2 lbs)
2 tbsp honey
¾ tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp salt (can add 1/2 tsp more if desired)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
4 cloves
½ tsp ginger powder
Directions
Dry pork chops thoroughly and massage both with an equal amount of honey.
Mix spices together and sprinkle evenly onto pork chops.
Place chops in a vacuum seal bag and cook in sous vide at 150F for medium or 157F for medium-well, for 2-3 hours depending on the quality of meat you have (cook longer for cheaper cuts).
Once time is done, heat cast iron pan with 1 tbsp canola oil on high heat, dry chops by dabbing (making sure to not rub off the spices), and brown on both sides until deeply golden brown (1-2 minutes depending on how hot your pan is).
Top off with compound butter, flaky salt (optional) and enjoy!
Roasted Peach compound butter
Servings: one log of butter| Prep time: 10 minutes| Total time: 45-60 minutes
Ingredients
½ onion
Pinch of sugar
1 stick butter
½ peach
3 garlic cloves
¼ - ½ tsp chipotle chili powder
¼ tsp lemon zest
¼ tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste (approximately 1/4 - 1/2 tsp)
Oil
Directions
Remove stick of butter from the fridge to soften at room temp.
Preheat oven to 450F.
Wrap peach and garlic in aluminum foil and roast for 30 minutes in oven or until slightly golden.
While oven runs, slice onions and then heat 1 tsp oil on medium-low heat, add onions and pinch of salt. Let caramelize slowly (20 minutes).
In a food processor, whip butter until light in texture then add chipotle chili powder, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt.
Once onions are deeply browned, put them in the freezer to cool down for 5-10 minutes before mixing with the butter i.
Once peaches and garlic are browned (taste peach to see if you would like to roast it longer) place in freezer to cool with the onions for around the same time (5-10 minutes).
Once the onions, peaches and garlic are cooled, toss them in the food processor with the butter and pulse a few times until only tiny bits of peach, garlic and onion can be seen mixed with the butter.
Place your compound butter in plastic wrap, roll it into a log and then place in the fridge until you’re ready to use! Can be kept for 1-2 weeks in fridge and a month in the freezer.
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