Pork Chops with Apples and Shallots

January 6, 2011

Last night, I made a favorite dish of ours: Pork Chops with Apples and Shallots. When we first made this recipe, it was my introduction to shallots… and I’m glad to say they’re now something I quite enjoy.

Here are the ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 lb. shallots
2 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup white wine
4 pork rib chops
salt and pepper

The recipe calls for a 1/2 lb. of shallots, but I tend to get a little more than that.

Just playing with the macro setting on my camera here.

The hardest part of this whole recipe, honestly, is just working with the shallots. Typically, I try to cut off the ends, and divide the shallot into half pieces. I normally try to keep the entire shallot if I can, but I’m thinking this contributes to the longer prep time. Cutting through and then peeling them seems a lot faster.

Like onions, these things are potent and will mess with your eyes. So be prepared.

The apples should be peeled, cored, and then cut into eighths. I think if you want, you could make the pieces even smaller… but it’s up to your preference. The apples will definitely get a lot softer by the time they’re done cooking.

While the recipe calls for only 4 pork chops, I opt to get a little more. All that needs to be done is to add salt/pepper to both sides, and you’re done with prepping the meat! This makes it really easy to make a lot of leftovers.

Melt the butter over medium/high and then add in the shallots. Cook for 5 minutes until they’re brown.

At this time, you should heat up the broiler and set the rack to about 4-5 inches.

Once the shallots are browned, reduce the heat to medium and cover. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and it should look a little like this.

Put the pork chops in, and cook them about 4-5 minutes per side.

Add in the apples and wine. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes, until the apples are soft.

Uncover, and continue to cook until most of the sauce is gone (3-4 minutes).

Pork chops are done. I have to admit – I have a hard time gauging how “done” meat is. When cooking with a broiler, I have a tendency to overcook and dry stuff out. Pork chops cook really quickly, so keep a sharp eye out.

Add the shallots and apples over your pork chop, and you’re done! We also had some broccoli with melted cheese, and a little bread from La Boulangerie.

Overall, this is a pretty easy meal to make. The brunt of the work falls in the prep time, but when you start cooking… most everything is in 5 minute stages.