Pork chops and Winchester apples

This weekend we visited our great friends (thanks, guys!) in Winchester for the annual Apple Blossom Festival (or "The Bloom," if you're local). Such great fun with parades and other festivities. Riccardo, our friend and chef of Violino was involved with a cooking demonstration, during which he made several sauces and a beautiful apple cake with real Winchester Golden Delicious apples. As far as eating-out-of-hand apples, Golden Delicious is not my favorite, but these apples are great for cooking.

This cake is moist and dense yet had such a light flavor that it doubles as a breakfast as well as dessert. Riccardo was kind enough to send us home with a cake of our own. Here is a piece I sliced up for after the kids went to bed tonight.

Tonight I made pork chops (which Paul has been requesting for some time), adapting this recipe from Rachel Ray. I used the very same apples from Winchester. :)

Honey Mustard Glazed Pork Chops and Apples

1/4 C Honey

1/4 C Spicy brown mustard

1/4 C Apple cider vinegar

Splash of OJ

1/4 medium onion, finely chopped

A few dashes each of nutmeg, ground cloves, and ginger

4 Pork Chops

3 Golden delicious apples, sliced crosswise (with peel and core)

Olive oil for drizzling

Salt and Pepper

Heat grill pan or skillet to a pretty high heat (I don't have a grill pan, so I used a skillet, and it turned out great). Preheat oven to 350.

Combine honey, mustard, ACV, OJ, onion, and spices in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sauce thickens a bit. Should take about 5-10 minutes.

Coat chops in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then pan sear or grill about 2-3 minutes on each side. Baste with honey mustard sauce and cook a minute or 2 longer.

Transfer chops to baking dish, drizzle any remaining sauce, and bake for 12 minutes.

Coat apple slices in olive oil and grill or pan sear for 3 minutes.

Layer chops and apples on platter and serve.

We ate local asparagus with brown butter and lemon juice alongside our chops and apples. Charlie and Judah ate about 5 spears each of this local treat and probably would have eaten more if I hadn't put a stop to it!