Um, yum. This was easy and delicious. It’s a Guy Fieri recipe and I don’t watch his show, but I wanted to make Pork Chops and Apples and I found this recipe. The marinating of the pork really helped it to stay juicy, which has been my number one problem with making pork chops. I also bought super thick chops, which I’m sure didn’t hurt. Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients

4 pork chops, double cut, center cut, bone in
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup sliced (1/4-inch) yellow onions
2 cups cored and sliced (1/4-inch) Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

In a resealable plastic bag, add the chops, apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large saute pan heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to almost smoking, then add pork chops, shaking off excess marinade. Brown on both sides, then place on a sheet pan and put in the oven for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees F.

In the same saute pan deglaze with wine then add onions, apples and raisins and cook until apples are soft and onions are translucent. Add butter salt and pepper, to taste, and keep warm.

Remove chops from oven and add to the apple mixture. Serve hot.

I made this as an appetizer for Bunco, but I wanted to make it my own.  Lots of recipes called for Puff Pastry dough, and if they called for tart dough, they didn’t have apples or something.  So, I read a bunch of recipes and came up with this one.  It is tasty!

For the dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 7 Tbs. ice water

For the topping:

• 1 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 TBSP Butter
• 2 small onions
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 1 TBSP Balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg yolk

I finally cooked! And I used the simplest recipe I could find. And I didn’t change a thing, except I have a small oven so I have a small baking dish so I had to use less ingredients. I still used 3 apples with my 5 slices of bread and it was nice and appley. I wouldn’t recommend cutting down on the apples. I also didn’t measure the sugar, so I bet I bet I used a bit less than 1 cup. So actually, I did change it, a little. Mine came out nice and mushy and sugar-y, but you gotta really bake it if you want those crusty corners to fight over with your guests. That’s what I intend to do next time.

Here’s the recipe courtesy of Pioneer Woman:

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 8

Ingredients
3 whole Apples, Preferably Granny Smith
7 slices Wheat Bread
¾ cups Regular Salted Butter
1-½ cup Packed Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons (to 4 Tablespoons) Water
Preparation Instructions
Peel and thinly slice 3 apples. Slice bread into a small dice, or tear into very small pieces.
Coat a small baking dish or pie plate with butter. Then add 1/3 of the brown sugar, 1/3 of the apple slices, and 1/3 of the breadcrumbs. Repeat these layers twice more, ending with breadcrumbs.
Slice butter and lay slices all over the top of the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle dish with water and a little more brown sugar, and bake in a 375-degree oven, covered in foil, until done – about 45 minutes. Remove foil in last few minutes of baking to brown the top.