Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Thyme and Bacon Crumbs

I made this recipe a few months back. The homemade breadcrumbs make the dish.

This recipe was in the Oregonian in an article: "Le Pigeon's Gabriel Rucker keeps it simple, fresh and economical" April 2009

Pan-Seared Pork Chops With Thyme and Bacon Crumbs

Published April 28, 2009

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Try to avoid "enhanced" pork, which will exude a good deal of liquid into the pan and dilute the flavor. Stale bread can be ground for these crumbs.

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons bacon fat (or butter)
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 center-cut bone-in pork chops, cut 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 thyme sprigs
• Lemon juice

Instructions

Heat bacon fat in small skillet over medium heat until melted. Add crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Pat chops dry with paper towels and season liberally with salt. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Space pork chops evenly in pan; add butter and scatter thyme sprigs in pan. Cook until well browned, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook until second side is lightly brown and meat has attained desired internal temperature (140 degrees), 3 to 5 minutes for medium. Transfer to serving platter, drizzle with butter from pan, and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. Just before serving, spritz with lemon juice and top with reserved bread crumbs.

Gabriel Rucker - Le Pigeon

Prime Rib

Our prime rib preparation for Christmas Eve:

Blowtorch Prime Rib Roast Recipe

Thomas Keller

Ingredients for Prime Rib Roast

One 2-bone center-cut rib roast (about 4½ pounds), trimmed of excess fat ( we used 4 rib)
Kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
Gray salt or coarse sea salt
Horseradish Cream (recipe follows)

Directions for Prime Rib Roast

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 275°F.

Put the roast on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Hold a blowtorch about 1 inch from the roast and turn to lightly brown the fat on all sides; the idea is to start the fat rendering and to torch the meat just until the surface begins to turn gray. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper.

Transfer to the oven, with the meat toward the back of the oven, and cook until the roast registers 128°F in the center. The total cooking time will be about 2 hours, but begin to check the temperature after 1½ hours. Remove from the oven and let rest in a warm spot for at least 30 minutes for medium-rare.

To carve, cut the meat away from the bones. Separate the bones and put them on a serving platter. Cut the roast in half through the center, turn each piece cut side down, and slice straight down into slices that are about ½ inch thick. Arrange the meat on the platter and sprinkle with gray salt and pepper.

Serve with the horseradish cream on the side.

Best Chocolate Chip Recipe - Jacques Torres

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Jacques Torres

New York Times July 9, 2008

Time 45 minutes - Chill time 24 hours

2 cups minus 2T (8.5 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8.5 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons corse salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2T (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pound bittersweet chocolate disks or feves,

at least 60% cacao ( I used about 14 ounces)

sea salt

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light and creamy, about 5 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time. Mixing well after each addition.
4. Stir in vanilla
5. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop in chocolate pieces and incorporate with wooden spoon as to not break the chocolate.
6. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches and can be refrigerated for 72 hours.
7. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or non stick backing mat.
8. Scoop generous golf ball size mounds onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that may be poking up.
9. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
10. Bake until golden brown, about 16-20 minutes.
11. Transfer to wire rack for 10 minutes.

Wine and Beer Gift Wrap

Get a 6 pack wine carrier at the grocery store, cover with decorative paper and embellishments. Add items that will be special to the receiver.

Gift ideas:

assortment of beers

assortment of chocolate

teacher survival kit - gum, advil, tea, ear plugs, energy drink

travel gifts

baby shower items

bachelorette items

Posole Rojo

Posole Rojo

12 oz. dried posole or hominy
6-8 dried ancho chiles
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. oregano
Salt to taste
2-3 lbs. pork shoulder cut in 1 1/2" cubes - less
Juice of 1 lime

Put dried posole into non-reactive bowl or Dutch oven and cover with water. Soak overnight. Drain posole and put back in Dutch oven in enough salted water to cover. Bring to boil and simmer for at least 2 hours until softened.

Remove seeds, ribs and stems from chiles and tear into large pieces. Place in heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. After half an hour, when chiles are soft and somewhat cooled, drain them, reserving the liquid. Put chiles, onion, oregano and garlic in bowl of food processor and process, adding reserved chile-soaking liquid to make it a thick sauce. Season to taste with salt.

Add meat and chile sauce to cooked hominy in Dutch oven and stir to combine, adding more chile-soaking liquid or water if needed. Bring to a boil on the stove, lower heat and simmer for two hours or until meat can be mashed with a wooden spoon. Stir in lime juice.

Ideas to serve with Posole: diced onion, sour cream, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, cotija cheese, shredded lettuce.

Watermelon Margarita

FOR THE WATERMELON-INFUSED TEQUILA:
1 medium-size seedless watermelon
1 750-ml bottle of silver tequila

FOR THE MARGARITA:
4 oz. of the watermelon-infused tequila
2 oz. frozen limeade
2 cubes of the infused watermelon
1 1⁄2 oz. Cointreau or Triple Sec

Watermelon
Watermelon wedges

1. For the infused tequila, cut a watermelon into 1" cubes (rind removed) until you have roughly 2 lbs. of fruit. Transfer to a glass jar, pour in tequila, seal jar, and let steep for 2 days.

2. To make drinks, combine the watermelon-infused tequila, 2 cups crushed ice, frozen limeade, infused watermelon, and Cointreau in a blender. Purée until slushy. Garnish with watermelon wedges.

Serves 2

Soccer Celebration Cupcakes

Go Ponies. Round scallop paper punch. Adobe Photoshop Elements scrapbook logo

Go Ponies