Maple-Glazed Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• Meat
  • 4 pork chops, thawed
• Brine
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1 lb ice
  • 1/4 cup coarse kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • ~2 tbsp of whole ginger (approx the size of two large cloves of garlic), peeled and sliced thin
  • 2 tsp dried mustard
• Glaze
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup good maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ginger, grated
  • 1.5 oz (1 shot) cognac
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Coarse kosher salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

Tools:

• 2+ quart saucepan
• Heavy stainless steel or aluminum saute pan (non-nonstick)
• Gallon-sized zip-top bag
• Cooking range

Directions:

Heat vinegar over medium-high heat in saucepan. Add all other  brine ingredients except ice and stir until the powders are completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Add ice and stir until ice has melted or brine is cold to the touch. Place pork chops in a gallon-sized zip-top bag, and pour the brine over them. The brine should completely cover the pork chops. Place zip-top bag in a large bowl (in case of leaking) and store in refrigerator for 6-12 hours before cooking. Do not over-brine, as the meat will be salty. Brine can be prepared in advance, then mixed with pork at a later time if needed.

In a medium bowl, whisk together maple syrup, mustard, garlic, and ginger. Set aside

Remove pork from brine, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels. (Pork must be very dry to brown properly.) Season both sides of the pork with pepper and a little bit of coarse salt.

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear pork for 2 minutes per side. (Don’t crowd pan, and don’t move chops at all until the 2 minutes is up.) Remove pork and set aside.

Deglaze pan with water and cognac. Add sauce to pan and bring to a simmer. Add pork to sauce, cover, and cook for 5 minutes (or until pork is cooked through). Remove pork and set aside. Increase heat and reduce sauce, stirring almost constantly, until it’s thick and has an almost honey-like consistency. Return pork to pan and coat with sauce. Plate pork and sauce, and serve.

Steak with Pepper Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 (6-8 oz) strip steaks, 3/4 to 1-inch thick
• Kosher salt
• 2 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, clarified
• 3/4 cup beef stock or broth
• 3 tbsp cognac
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp green peppercorns in brine

Tools

• Mortar and pestle
• Large, heavy saute pan
• Sheet pan with a draining rack set inside.
• Oven
• Cooking range

Directions

Preheat oven to 200°F.

Coarsely crush black pepper using mortar and pestle. Set aside. Drain and crush green peppercorns extremely coarsely (barely crack them open).

Sprinkle steaks with kosher salt and crushed black pepper. Heat butter in saute pan over medium heat. Once butter is hot, add steaks and cook until browned on each both sides. (About 2 minutes/side for medium-rare and 3 minutes/side for medium). Remove steaks from pan, place on draining rack (on sheet pan), and pace in the oven to keep warm.

Deglaze the pan using the beef broth/stock. Allow the liquid to reduce for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-high heat, whisking regularly. Add cognac, heavy cream, and green peppercorns to the pan. Increase heat to high and cook, whisking continually, until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (5-7 minutes).

Season sauce to taste with kosher salt. Plate steaks, sauce, and serve immediately.