Pink Peppercorn Pork Chops, with Pink Pearl Apples, Lemon Thyme, Pan Jus and Creamy Celery Root Purée

I always welcome the beginning of Fall with the ripening of these magnificent magenta-fleshed apples! This recipe: Pink Peppercorn Pork Chops with Pink Pearl Apples, Lemon Thyme, Pan Jus and Celery Root Purée, is the main course in my Pink Pearl apple tasting menu that I will be posting over the next few weeks. (Don’t worry, desserts are coming…)

Look, you need to have a talk with the farmers in your area (if you don’t have the space to grow a Pink Pearl apple tree) and tell them that this apple needs to be grown commercially and that it will sell out! It is BY FAR the best apple to bake with and eat fresh. It has the perfect sweet-tart combo and it is firm–– great for pies and tarts. And they are also beautiful with bright pink flesh and thin greenish yellow skin that is often blushed in red. Layla loves to eat them right off the tree, they are that good. (She’s three years old and very, very picky).

This recipe, like most of mine these days, is simple. It’s a 30 minute recipe and that includes cooking and prep time. With all recipes that are simple, the quality of ingredients is the most important and here that starts with the pork chop. These are double cut bone-in pork chops and they are humanely raised. It’s extremely hard to find organic pork products, but these are about as close as can be. I really like the way the butcher left some of the rind on too. I prefer chops that are center cut.

I have a specific method for cooking pork chops so they come out tender because on one hand the meat of the pork chops cooks quickly (quicker than beef, I think) but the fat takes much longer to render, and that’s where all the flavor is. I begin the chops on their sides in a cast iron skillet, browning slowly on all outer edges, allowing the fat to get nice and gooey golden. Then I put the chops face down and pop them in a medium-hot oven to finish.

I remove the pan from the oven, decant the chops to a plate to keep warm and deglaze the pan with a little rosé wine or white wine, stock (or water), a splash of apple juice and allow all to reduce scraping up the pan drippings along the way. When I’ve got a 1/4 cup of jus in the pan, I shake in 3 tablespoons of butter and add my apple slices – I barely cook the apples – I just warm them through. Season with salt, add some lemon thyme and voilà, c’est fini!

Oh wait, there’s the celeriac too! Celeriac (celery root) is a celebrated thing in our house because some one always ends up with the “magic celery root” gag gift at our White Elephant Christmas Party. We do like to eat it too and not just stuff it in garishly decorated boxes. It is not related to celery but it does taste similar.

How to prepare this weird root? Cut the thick dirty edges off with a knife (don’t peel ) and chop quickly and cook in a ‘blanc’ or a mixture of water and cream that just barely covers all. The lactic acid will keep the celeriac from discoloring –and it does discolor quickly, so don’t wait to toss it in the pot. Simmer the celery root until soft, and then purée in a Vitaprep with some of the cooking liquid and a few tablespoons (or more, who am I to judge?) of butter.

Pink Peppercorn Pork Chops, with Pink Pearl Apples, Lemon Thyme, Pan Jus and Creamy Celery Root Purée

Ingredients

• 2 center double cut bone-in pork chops
• 2 pink pearl apples
• 2 tablespoons pink peppercorns, cracked
• 5 sprigs lemon thyme
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
• 1/4 cup rosé or white wine
• A splash of apple juice
• 1 large celeriac root (or 2 bocce ball sized roots)
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup cream
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• Sea salt

 

Celeraic Purée: Peel the celeriac root by chopping off the dirty skin with a chef's knife until the brownish outer layer has been completely removed. Chop into 1-inch chunks and toss them immediately into a pot filled with water and cream (a 'blanc') to prevent discoloration. Set on medium high heat and simmer until soft and easily pierced by a knife. With a slotted spoon, remove chunks to a VitaPrep and purée with some of the cooking liquid and 3 tablespoons of butter until a smooth consistency is achieved. Season with salt to taste and reserve. Remember you can add more cooking liquid to blend but you can't easily take it away it you add too much – so add little by little or you'll end up with soup! (which is good too, but not what this recipe calls for)

Pork Chops: Preheat oven to 425˚F. Generously season chops with sea salt and cracked red peppercorn. 

In a cast iron skillet with two tablespoons of olive oil on Medium Heat, begin cooking the chops on their sides browning slowly on all outer edges, allowing the fat to get nice and gooey-golden. Then put the chops face down and pop the whole pan into a medium-hot oven to finish. Cook for 4 minutes and flip the chops, cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Test for doneness (medium- rare) with your finger tip – the flesh should feel slightly firm but still a little spring-y, or use a meat thermometer. 

When the chops are cooked, remove the pan from the oven, decant them to a plate to keep warm and rest. Deglaze the pan with rosé or white wine on the stove top over low heat (the pan should be very hot still from the oven so be careful). Let the alcohol to burn off, reducing by half and then add stock (or water) and a splash of apple juice . Allow all to reduce by half, scraping up the pan drippings along the way. You can add any jus from the resting pork chops back into the pan to reduce as well. 

When there's 1/4 cup of jus left in the pan, shake in 3 tablespoons of butter. I mean literally shake it in, don't whisk or stir it. Take the pan by the handle and swirl that butter in; it is less likely to split this way.  Add the apple slices – I barely cook the apples – I just warm them through. Take off the heat and reserve. The jus should look glossy and have the consistency of olive oil. Taste and season with salt if necessary. 

Plate chops with celery root purée, a few sprigs of lemon thyme, apples and spoon pan jus over.