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The Apple Lover's Cookbook
The Apple Lover's Cookbook celebrates the beauty of apples in all their delicious variety, taking you from the orchard to the kitchen with recipes both sweet (like Apple-Stuffed Biscuit Buns and Blue Ribbon Deep-Dish Apple Pie) and savory (like Cider-Brined Turkey and Apple Squash Gratin). It offers a full-color guide to fifty-nine apple varieties, with descriptions of their flavor, history, and, most important, how to use them in the kitchen. Amy Traverso also takes you around the country to meet farmers, cider makers, and apple enthusiasts.
The one hundred recipes run the spectrum from cozy crisps and cobblers to adventurous fare like Cider-Braised Brisket or Apple-Gingersnap Ice Cream. In addition, Amy organizes apple varieties into cooking categories so that it's easy to choose the right fruit for any recipe. You'll know to use tart Northern Spy in your pies and Fuji in delicate cakes. The Apple Lover's Cookbook is the ultimate apple companion.
Cider-Brined Pork Chops with Mustard Pan Sauce
Equipment: 10- to 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet; 9- by 13-inch baking dish
Makes: 6 servings?•?Active time: 35 minutes?•?
Total time: 35 minutes, plus at least 3 hours brining time
For the brine
3½ cups (830 ml) fresh apple cider
¼ cup (70 g) kosher salt
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, divided
2 bay leaves, divided
4 crushed garlic cloves, divided
6 bone-in pork rib chops (each about 1 inch thick)
For the sauce
2 tablespoons (28 g) salted butter
¾ cup (180 ml) fresh apple cider
1 cup (240 ml) chicken broth
? cup (80 ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1• First make the brine: In a large bowl, whisk together the cider and salt until the salt
dissolves. Divide the brine between two zip-top freezer bags, then add 1 teaspoon peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, and 2 garlic cloves to each. Put 3 chops in each bag, seal, and chill for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
2• Preheat the oven to 325ºF and set a rack to the middle position. Drain the chops and blot dry. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add 3 pork chops. Cook (no need to stir or turn) until browned on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the chops and cook until browned on the other side, 3 to 4 minutes more. Repeat with the second batch. Set the skillet aside.
3• Layer the chops in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and bake until very pale pink in the center (cut to check), 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and transfer the chops to a serving platter.
4• Make the sauce: Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the cider. As it bubbles, use a wooden spoon to scrape up brown bits on the bottom. Add the broth, turn the heat to high, and boil until the liquid is reduced to about ½ cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and mustard. Season with salt. Pour the sauce over the chops and serve with mashed or steamed potatoes and a green salad.
(recipe courtesy of Amy Traverso and W. W. Norton & Company)
