Pork Chops with Apple Dijon Sauce and Arugula Salad for a Fall Flavors #SundaySupper

Pork Chops with Apple Dijon Sauce and Arugula Salad for a Fall Flavors #SundaySupper

If memory serves me correctly, the team at #SundaySupper has repeated the theme of autumnal foods from last year. I remember this because I paired chicken with a sauce that utilized grapes which are coming into season about now. The repeated theme is okay with me because I'm always up for seasonal ingredients.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

In what will most likely be my last trip to the Redmond Saturday Market this year, I noticed apples had appeared at many of the farms' stands a couple of weeks ago so I purchased a few ruby jon apples and decided to employ the classic pairing of apples and pork. To affirm, The Flavor Bible noted a flavor affinity of pork, apples and mustard. It separately noted that pork chops pair well with arugula.

Dish Details

For the pork chops, I relied upon my favorite which is taken from Tyler Florence on Food Network. For the sauce, I was inspired by a recipe I found on seattletimes.com but I had to make it over.

Ingredients

For the pork:
4 quarts water
1 cup kosher salt plus more for seasoning, divided
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed with the side of a knife
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
4 bone-in pork rib chops, approximately 1-inch thick
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the sauce:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 1/2 cups apple juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
4 ounces arugula
Juice from 1 lemon
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Brine the chops. Stir together the water, 1 cup kosher salt, sugar and apple juice until the sugar and salt has dissolved. Add the peppercorns and thyme into the brine, then the pork chops. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2. Prepare the chops. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Remove the chops from the brine and discard the brine. Pat the chops dry with paper towels, then season them with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and sear the chops, two chops at a time if they don't fit, approximately 3 minutes per side. Remove them to an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan, then roast the chops in the oven until their internal temperature reaches 140° Fahrenheit, approximately 30 minutes.

3. Prepare the pan sauce. While the pork chops roast, return the same skillet to the stovetop over medium heat and add the oil. Once it starts to smoke, toss in the onions to sweat, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the apples and brown lightly, approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Deglaze the pan with the apple juice, then stir in the mustard. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Reduce until the sauce is thick enough so that when you slide your finger across a spoon dipped in the sauce, it holds its shape. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the nutter until it melts. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

4. Prepare the salad and finish the dish. Combine the lemon juice and oil in a small bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Toss the vinaigrette with the arugula. To plate, place a pork chop in the middle off center, spoon some sauce over the chops then garnish with arugula on the side.

Final Thoughts

I must confess that the dish you see above isn't the dish I had originally conceptualized. I wanted to present it with a fourth component of a polenta cake. When I visualized the dish, I imagined the chop to rest against it with the bone raised to give the dish some height. I even had the chops frenched similar to the dish I published about a year ago. That being said, the dish was still very flavorful. The spice of the mustard balanced the sweetness of the apples nicely.

Check out A Guide to Apples plus Best Fall Recipes Ideas for #SundaySupper and this week's recipe collection:

Breakfast

• Apple-Currant Dutch Baby Pancake by The Weekend Gourmet
• Apple Swirled Pumpkin Yeast Bread by What Smells So Good?
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread by Party Food and Entertaining
• Giant Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tart by Pies and Plots
• Sweet Potato Buttermilk Biscuits by Tara’s Multicultural Table

Appetizers and Sides

• Butternut Squash, Cauliflower and Cabbage Soup with Lentils by Monica's Table
• Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins by Pancake Warriors
• Pumpkin Spice Roasted Sweet Potatoes by Love and Confections
• Roasted Veggie Tart by Books n’ Cooks

Main Dishes

• Acorn Squash Stuffed with Roasted Veggies & Couscous by Momma’s Meals
• Butternut Squash Lentil Curry Soup by Food Done Light
• Curry Beef Pies by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Fantasy Rice by The Petit Gourmet
• King Prawns in Red Sauce – Mauritian Style Creole Sauce by Peachy Tales
• Pasta with Creamy Butternut & Bacon by Cooking Chat
• Pork Chops with Apple Dijon Sauce and Arugula Salad by Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Pork Chops with Glazed Apples and Vegetables by The Complete Savorist
• Quinoa and Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash by Feeding Big and More
• Roasted Tomato Soup with Bacon/Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich by A Gouda Life
• Salt Roasted Salmon over Roasted Butternut & Yam Soup by Lifestyle Food Artistry
• Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken, Delicata Squash and Olives by Foodie Tots
• Sweet Potato French Bean Lentil Salad by Food Lust People Love
• Sweet Potato Alfredo Sauce by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Thai Curry Pumpkin Soup by Eating in Instead
• Whole Roasted Chicken with Vegetables by Life Tastes Good

Desserts and Cocktails

• Apfelkuchen by Curious Cuisiniere
• Applesauce Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Swirls by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Apple Gingersnap Refrigerator Dessert by Recipes Food and Cooking
• Autumn Bellini by An Appealing Plan
• Autumn Spice Cookies by Desserts Required
• Caramel Apple Napoleons by The Crumby Cupcake
• Caramel Apple Pie Bundles by The Freshman Cook
• Caramel Apple Streusel Muffins by The Redhead Baker
• Caramel Apple Swirl Cheesecake No-Churn Ice Cream by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Cheesecake Swirl Pumpkin Muffins by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Chestnut and Pear Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream by Caroline’s Cooking
• Dark Chocolate-Espresso Pumpkin Tiramisu by Brunch with Joy
• Dutch Apple Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake with Butterscotch Drizzle by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
• Pumpkin Chocolate Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Pumpkin Crisp by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake by Flour On My Face
• Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter Cookies by Palatable Pastime
• Roasted Maple Pears by Amee’s Savory Dish
• Spiced Pear Cake by Simply Healthy Family
• Spiced Pumpkin Bread by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Sweet Apple Skillet Cake by Nosh My Way

Plus, A Guide to Apples plus Best Fall Recipes Ideas for #SundaySupper

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