It’s not even December yet and I feel like the holidays have already passed me by.
Working in magazine publishing means you’re always working at least 3 months ahead of each and every holiday. Plotting Halloween while others are launching firecrackers and decorating Easter eggs to the jingle of Christmas carols.
Hence why I’m always 3 months ahead yet 3 steps behind.
This past weekend my Instagram feed was blowing up with scenes of mulled wine and trimming the tree. It caused serious pangs of jealousy as my tree sat in it’s box and Smudge played the same top-40 One Direction song over, and over, and over and over. Again. And again.
But I’ll soon be atop the ladder, straddling to find the perfect spot for each memorable ornament as my helpful red-headed elf sorts through all of her favorite ornaments best suited for low-hanging fillers as the fire blazes and the dogs hoover about for cookie crumbs.
This weekend I’ll be speaking at the Mixed Conference, talking about ebooks and working my best Jennifer Gray impersonation in the hotel that Dirty Dancing built, er, boogied in.
Then it’ll be a jaunt home to put the final touches on the Holiday issue of FoodieCrush so you can get busy plotting and planning your holiday entertaining eats thanks to some fantastic food bloggers and their recipes.
Is your mouth watering yet?
This pork chop recipe is one of my favorites to pull out at the holidays. The festive red grapes paired with crispy green sage bypass the cliché trappings of Christmas colors thanks to their sweet roasty flavor explosions and browned herby crispy bits that more than compliments the double-cut and brined porkers.
And let us not forget the cheese. Ah, glorious cheese.
One of our favorite things to do most Sunday mornings is for the three of us to bundle up in the big bed and scan our favorite Food Network programs for what to make for dinner that night. That’s how we discovered this recipe from Tyler Florence.
A few notes about the recipe:
1. The original recipe calls for prosciutto wrapped in, but I found the pork on pork wasn’t distinguishable enough to justify the added expense.
2. The key to the chops are in the brine, similar to the one I used on my Grilled Pork Loin Roast with Balsamic and Raspberry Chili Glaze, to create the most succulent, juicey choppers you’ve ever sunk your Whitestripped teeth into.
3. Use whichever melty cheese you prefer or have handy, from white cheddar to fontina to asiago and secure your cheesey pocket with toothpicks in order to try and avoid a Valdez style cheese spill.
4. Try a few other ingredients to pork up your pork, like artichoke hearts and mushrooms with truffle oil or a bread stuffing with pinenuts and parmesan.
Stuffed Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes
PrintIngredients
- 4 bone-in thick cut pork chops, about 1 ½ inches thick
- 2 quarts water
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 cloves garlic
- 10 cloves
- 1 tablespoon allspice
- 1 cup grated Asiago cheese or other melting cheese
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup fresh sage chopped plus 8 whole leaves
- 1 pound California red grapes on the vine and cut into 4 clusters
- 2 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the water, sugar, salt, thyme, garlic, cloves and all-spice. Add the pork chops to the brine and marinate for 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Drain the pork chops and pat dry. Make a slice in the center of each pork chop to make a pocket and stuff with ¼ cup cheese and ¼ of the sage for each chop. Heat 2 large cast iron skillets over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to each skillet. Add 2 chops to each of the skillets and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, flip chops and add grapes to pan. Top each chop with 2 sage leaves and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Roast in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes depending on thickness or to 160 degrees. Remove chops and grapes from pan and move to a large plate reserving juices. Tent to keep warm.
- Put all of the juices into 1 pan over medium heat. Add chicken stock to the pan and scrape to pick up all of the flavorful crispy bits. Add butter and whisk to thicken sauce and add salt if needed. Serve pork chops with grapes and topped with sauce.
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Mallory
Fantastic recipe, very easy but elegant, has a gourmet feel, and the roasted grapes turned out to be a lovely surprise, I never would have thought! For the brine I cut the water, cloves, and allspice almost in half which worked great. Next time I will significantly decrease the sage also, using it as more of a “rub” on the inside pocket so I don’t get a mouthful of it lol but again beautiful flavors thank you
Thank you Mallory! I’m glad you enjoyed!
Kevin | economicalchef.com
Really unique recipe. Cooking meat can get so boring, and this twist featuring grapes looks really good, especially for Valentine’s Day coming up! Thanks.
android tablet pc
Great article.
Sonja
Stunning photograph, Heidi! I don’t even eat meat, and you caught my eye :) Gorgeous!
Now that’s a compliment! Thank you!
cathy @ Noble Pig
This just makes me salivate..with the grapes and all. Beautiful photos!
Denise | TLT
Is my mouth watering yet? YES! This looks so, so good. Love that oozing cheese and the use of sage: don’t you use adore that smell?
Really excited for the Holiday issue to come out, can’t wait to see all the goodness you’ve been working on!
Sara at The Cozy Herbivore
I SO feel you about being so ahead yet so behind… although I work in a candy & ice cream kitchen, so I’m only about a month ahead of everyone else. But it’s hard to be at work all day talking about January stuff when it’s not even December… and then suddenly I feel like I’ve missed Christmas but I haven’t really because I’ve been talking about Christmas so much during September & October… and round and round it goes.
Anyway, gorgeous photos, sumptuous recipe! I do love me some roasted grapes in the winter. How festive and perfectly seasonal. :)
Annalise
Drool! These pork chops are destined for my dinner table, and then my belly. Have fun at MixedCon, I’m so glad others get a chance to learn from your many talents!
Cassie | Bake Your Day
I really love roasted grapes. This is fantastic! Have fun at Mixed!
Maria
Wish I could fit in your suitcase! Have fun! And the photos in this post are fab! Like always:)
Bev @ Bev Cooks
I’m so bummed I won’t be seeing you this weekend at Mixed! Maybe you could make me these pork chops to make up for it?
Of course! And you can make me one of your three desserts :)
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Yep, totally mouth-watering piece. Love the roasted grapes!
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking
You had me at stuffed pork!!!! This looks great! I am sure you will catch up and find a holiday equilibrium just in time to get that tree up and start rocking out to holiday tunes!
Lauren Grier @ (Climbing Grier Mountain)
I am a HUGE fan of pork chops! Love that you added grapes to the mix. And cheese? Also, a necessity! Looking forward to meeting you at Mixed this weekend.
Oh great, so glad to know you’ll be there. Please introduce yourself if I don’t first!
bridget {bake at 350}
Seriously delicious looking! And roasted grapes? I think it’s time I tried those.
Have fun at Mixed!
Kathryn
This is one seriously good-looking pork chop.