By The trees are turning. It happened fast this year, the way it sometimes does when an early cold snap catches them in mid-preparation — a week ago the maples were just suggesting color and now the ridge line is red and orange and that particular yellow that only sugar maples do. I drove the back road just to see it. That's a thing I do every October, have done it since I was a boy with my father. Some things you just keep doing because they're correct.
I put up apple cider this week. The Hendersons have a press and they let me bring my Macs over — we pressed together, distanced, talking over the noise of the machine. Twelve gallons of sweet cider. I'm going to freeze some, make hard cider from some, and drink the rest over the next few weeks while it's fresh and before the fermentation makes decisions of its own. Sweet cider in October has no parallel.
The blog post I wrote about Helen's rhubarb jam recipe — the one I posted back in June — has been shared a good number of times in the last few weeks. I got a message from a woman in New Hampshire who said her own mother used to make the same recipe and she hadn't made it in twenty years and now she was going to. That's the thing about food writing, the part I'm starting to understand: recipes carry people. They carry the specific person who taught you, and when you write them down you're giving that person a second life somewhere you'll never see.
Made a pork shoulder braise this week, slow cooked with apple cider and sage and onions. The whole house smelled of fall for two days. I ate it over egg noodles, which is not elegant but is correct. Some dishes require noodles.
That pork shoulder braise reminded me how well cider and pork understand each other — it’s one of those combinations that feels less like a recipe decision and more like something the season itself is asking for. When I pressed those twelve gallons with the Hendersons I kept a quart back specifically for cooking, and this is the other dish I made with it: almond-crusted pork chops finished with a cider pan sauce that comes together fast enough for a weeknight but tastes like you planned it all October. If you’ve got fresh cider in the house right now, this is where some of it should go.
Almond-Crusted Chops with Cider Sauce
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork loin chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 cup fresh apple cider
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon cold butter (for finishing the sauce)
Instructions
- Make the crust. Combine the chopped almonds, breadcrumbs, thyme, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Stir to mix evenly.
- Coat the chops. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Dip each chop in the beaten egg, letting the excess drip off, then press firmly into the almond mixture on both sides to coat.
- Sear the chops. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add chops and cook 4–5 minutes per side until the crust is deep golden and the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
- Build the cider sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the same skillet and cook the minced shallot for 1–2 minutes until softened. Pour in the apple cider and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce and finish. Simmer the sauce over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until it reduces by roughly half and thickens slightly. Whisk in the Dijon mustard and swirl in the cold tablespoon of butter off the heat to give the sauce a glossy finish. Taste and adjust salt.
- Serve. Spoon the cider sauce over the pork chops. Serve immediately alongside egg noodles, roasted root vegetables, or braised greens.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg