Every once in a while I like to remake one of my older recipes and give it a little life on the blog. Pork Chops with Hard Cider Sauce get the honourable mention today! Not only because they’re tasty but because they’re so quick and easy. A little hard cider goes a long way in making a quick pan sauce for your juicy pork chops. It adds great flavour along with the Dijon and tomato paste. It only takes a cup of hard cider so I guess the bonus here is that you get to drink the rest.
A tasty rub is smeared over the pork chops which are then pan fried golden. While they rest, a quick pan sauce with everyday ingredients and a little hard cider transpires. The key here is not to overcook the pork chops, 6 minutes per side is about all you need. If in doubt, you want a minimum of 145℉ on an instant read thermometer.
I love this recipe because you get good delicious value for the time spent. The spice rub adds additional flavour and a gorgeous colour to the pork chops. It’s a weeknight winner for sure! Enjoy!
In a small bowl stir together all ingredients except pork chops. Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel. Rub pork chops with spice mixture, covering all sides. Add oil to a large stainless steel pan over medium heat. When oil is hot add pork chops and cook until golden, approximately 6 minutes per side or an internal temperature of 145℉ is reached. Remove from pan and tent with foil.
Hard Cider Sauce
Dab out excess oil from the same pan. Over medium heat, add hard cider scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Bring hard cider to a boil and reduce for 5 minutes. Whisk in Worcestershire sauce, mustard, sirracha, and tomato paste. Stir in heavy cream, allow to return to a simmer and reduce for 2-3 minutes or until sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately over pork chops.
Recipe Notes
-Medium heat is recommended so the spice rub doesn't burn or get too dark. The trick for a good sear with medium heat is to not move the pork chops while they cook, allowing a good crust to form.
-The time needed to cook the pork chops will vary depending on their thickness. The 6 minutes per side is based on an approximate 1" thick pork chop. If your chops are thinner, adjust accordingly and use a thermometer if needed.
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The key to this dish is to make sure the scallops get a good sear. The sear not only adds depth of flavour but helps to seal in the juices from the scallops. This is achieved by making sure the scallops are dry by patting with a paper towel and also by using a hot pan with hot oil. The other very important thing is not to overcook the scallops.  Overcooked scallops are tough and rubbery and it takes no time at all to go from perfectly cooked to overdone. So have all your ingredients and equipment ready before you start and be focused on the dish while cooking to ensure they are not only seared properly but cooked for only a couple of minutes per side. In other words, there’s no room for a bathroom break once those scallops hit the pan.
But don’t be put off by a smidge of fussiness, this dish is very simple and uses the basic technique of deglazing the pan after removing the scallops, adding heavy cream and tarragon and reducing to create a gloriously silky sauce that will have you wanting to lick your plate. Enjoy!
Pat scallops dry on both sides with a paper towel.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add scallops and cook for approximately 2 minutes per side depending on size. Flip scallops and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Remove scallops to a plate and cover with foil.
Over medium-high heat add wine to the pan and whisk to pick up any caramelized bits in the pan. Allow wine to reduce for 2-3 minutes.
Whisk in heavy cream and tarragon and continue to reduce for about 5 minutes until sauce is reduced by half and has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in salt and pepper.
Arrange scallops on a platter or serving dishes and drizzle each with a tablespoon of sauce. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
-makes about 3/4 cup of sauce.
-you can use stainless steel, cast iron or non-stick skillets. The key to a good sear is having the pan and oil hot and not overcrowding the scallops.
-also delicious served as a main course over mashed potatoes.
-makes 4 appetizer servings or 3 main-course servings.
-using fresh tarragon is a must for this recipe.
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Steak with Balsamic Butter Sauce is an elevated meal for two and takes only a few quality ingredients and less than 30 minutes to prepare.
Beef tenderloin steaks can be a bit pricy, even for us here in beef country. But what I really like about beef tenderloin is that it’s a relatively lean cut of beef, it’s super tender and flavourful. It deserves a good sear to hold in the moisture and a generous drizzle of balsamic butter sauce.
Butter sauce comes in many forms, like Beurre Blanc-French butter sauce, Piccata sauce and the sauce on my Tarragon Chicken Cutlets
A butter sauce is quite simple and uber quick to pull off with a little know-how. In any butter sauce, it’s very important to use cold butter cut into small chunks. Cold butter melts more slowly, allowing the fat particles to breakdown and be dispersed throughout other liquids like wine, lemon juice, stock or in this case, balsamic vinegar. Adding butter gradually is equally as important. It allows all the fat particles to become completely emulsified but at a slower rate. This process creates a thicker and more stable sauce. Scientifically it’s a little more involved, but this gives you the idea behind it. Enjoy!
Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
Add oil to a medium stainless steel skillet and heat on high. When the oil is hot add steaks and cook 4 to 4 1/2 minutes per side for medium-rare, flipping only once and getting a good sear on both sides.
Remove steaks to a plate and cover with foil.
Add balsamic vinegar, beef broth and rosemary to the same pan whisking to pick up any beefy bits left behind by the steak. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes until sauce is reduced by at least half and can coat the back of a spoon. Remove rosemary sprig.
Turn heat to low and whisk in butter one chunk at a time, allowing the butter to be incorporated before adding more. Once all the butter is incorporated remove from heat and adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over steak or on the side as a dipping sauce. Makes about 1/3 cup of sauce.
Recipe Notes
Cooking time for steaks will be dependant on size. The steaks I used were approximately 8 ounces each and 1 1/2 " thick.
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