Pork Chops with Leeks in Mustard Sauce

I thought I'd share another of my recent recipe discoveries, this one from the May issue of Bon Appetit. We love pork around here - more, really, than beef or chicken or fish. Emeril has always been absolutely right: pork fat rules! ;)

So when I saw an entire section devoted to pork recipes in the magazine this month, I was truly excited. This recipe immediately caught my eye, and I have to say it is, without a doubt, the most amazingly delicious pork recipe (and possibly one of the best recipes for any dish) I have ever put in my mouth.

If you haven't had any experience before with leeks, you really must give them a try. Their delicate onion flavor adds so much depth to any number of dishes, as is evidenced by the mustard-leek mixture here. Absolutely mouth-watering!

One tip when working with pork: don't overcook it. Americans tend to think pork has to be served well-done like chicken, but that really isn't the case. Cooked to medium with a slightly pink center is the preferred preparation in our household, but I know many folks like to eat their pork medium-rare. And I promise it's all completely safe. ;)

I will attach a link to the recipe on bonappetit.com in addition to posting the complete recipe here. Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Leeks in Mustard Sauce

4 1 1/2- to 2-inch-thick bone-in heritage pork rib chops (our grocer didn't carry heritage pork, but conventional chops worked just fine)
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
Olive oil (optional)
4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 3 large)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Pat chops dry with paper towels. Mix 2 teaspoons coarse salt, thyme, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Sprinkle seasoning mixture on both sides of chops. Let stand at room temperature 1 to 2 hours or wrap and chill up to 1 day.

Heat heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and sauté until crisp and lightly browned. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to small bowl. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chops to skillet. Sear until brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer chops to small baking sheet.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from skillet (or add olive oil to make 3 tablespoons). Add leeks and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add brandy, then broth and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return bacon to skillet; add sage and stir to blend.

Nestle chops in leeks in skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer 3 minutes. Turn chops over. Cover; simmer until thermometer inserted into thickest part of chops registers 140°F to 145°F, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chops to platter. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm.

Spoon off any fat from cooking liquid in skillet. Boil until all liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Whisk in mustard, then crème fraîche; do not boil. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chops.

Sketch #2

Happy hump day! Just in time for the mid-week blues, a new sketch to help jump-start your creativity. As always, please share your gorgeous pages here if you use this or any of my other sketches. I garner such inspiration from all of you - and I just might have to share your creation here! :)

By the way, thank you for the input you shared on the last sketch and any you share on this one. I will certainly take all of your tips and put them to good use!

You Gotta Wear Shades

This page, another I created for Sketchapalooza, makes me smile. The colors are even more vibrant than I usually go for (and that's really saying something!), but Charlotte in those sunglasses really called for something WOW. :) Nearly 100% of the supplies here are from various Scarlet Lime kits.






















In other news...dear me, I have been a sewing fool for the last two days! I've made five outdoor pillows for our deck and patio (with plans for another five in a contrasting fabric) and a new valance for our kitchen. We have French doors leading out to our deck that have been in dire need of a serious makeover since the day we moved in (four years go - good gracious), and I have plans to make some matching valances for each of the doors to cover the rolling mechanism for some new shades I ordered yesterday. There is something about spring that always kicks my project queue into overdrive!

I hope your week is off to a great start!
A.

Herbed Spinach and Goat Cheese Strata

This recipe came from this month's issue of Relish Magazine (mine arrived with my paper just yesterday). When I saw it, I knew instantly it would be incredibly delicious. Every member of this family is a huge fan of goat cheese, and seeing it combined with so many other luscious ingredients sounded way too good to pass up! This would make for a great brunch, but I prepared it for supper tonight, and it was very satisfying as a vegetarian meal option. I served it alongside roasted asparagus and a green salad. Is it sad to admit I'm already eyeballing it for leftovers tomorrow?!

One tip: Don't skimp on the bread here. The Ciabatta (a rustic Italian-style bread) recommended really does make the recipe.

Enjoy!

Herbed Spinach and Goat Cheese Strata
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt, divided
Coarsely ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed rustic bread, such as Ciabatta (about a 1-pound loaf)
1 cup crumbled goat cheese (6 ounces)
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2¾ cups 2% reduced-fat milk
8 eggs
1 to 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

Place thawed spinach in colander and squeeze out excess water. Chop finely.

Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in spinach; remove from heat. Toss bread cubes, spinach mixture and cheeses together in a large bowl. Place mixture in a buttered 13 x 9-inch baking dish or 3-quart gratin dish.

Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard and herbs. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Pour evenly over bread mixture. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight. (I only refrigerated for 4 hours, which was perfectly adequate.)

Preheat oven to 350F. Remove strata from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and bake, uncovered, about 45 minutes, until puffed, golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Serves 10.

Dude

This is another of my creations for the sketch class. I loved these photos of Jack I captured during a completely impromptu photo session in January. You just have to love a little boy in his undies and boots! :o)



In fun news, I was chosen as the featured gallery this morning in the gallery walk currently in progress at Scrapbook.com. Each day, the moderator of the discussion chooses a different gallery to feature so people can take a stroll through and comment on fellow artists' work. It was such a fun surprise to hear the news that she had chosen to feature my gallery! To further sweeten the deal, one of the ladies from sb.com liked one of my pages so much (and the fact that I had linked some of my products back to their store) that she decided to send me a little RAK! So all-in-all, it's been a good day scrappy-wise. :)

I am feeling the need to do something craftsy, but I just haven't had a chance to sit at my table since before our trip to Florida. Maybe this weekend! I would love to sneak in some time while the kiddos are at Mothers' Day Out today, but since I have an appointment with my OB this morning, I doubt it will happen. I'm looking forward to hearing this little one's heartbeat again...it's been a long time since my first appointment all those weeks ago! (I am already 15 weeks along - wowza! September will be here before we know it.)

Happy Weekend Eve!

Something new - Sketch #1!

I have found myself lately becoming somewhat of a sketching fool. At all hours, in all locations, you are very likely to find me with a pencil in hand scribbling like a madwoman on a piece of scratch paper. I decided today to finally make an effort to organize the little collection that's been mounting on my scrap desk, and I have to say that I had an absolute blast creating these little digital versions of the images that have been dancing through my mind. My goal is to share one of these news sketches here each Wednesday, just one addicted scrapper to another, with the hope that you can find some inspiration when you visit my place.

So here you go: the first of what I hope are many sketches that I'll be sharing with you! I would absolutely love to see any of the pages you create with this sketch, so please don't hesitate to share.



Find beauty in this day!
Amy

Sketchapalooza wrap-up

I know I've mentioned ad nauseam how much I love the sketch classes at Feeling Scrappy, but I just can't say enough how terrific it is to be able to manage to churn out so many pages in such a short period of time, all the while working with so many talented scrappers. I so enjoyed being on the DT for the last two Sketchapalooza classes. It is bittersweet that my term on the FS team has officially come to an end, but I have to say I am truly thrilled for all of the talented new designers who will be joining Jayne and Stacey for the next six months! (For the announcement of the new DT, click here.)

Now that the class has wrapped, I thought I'd share a couple of the pages I finished up with you now. I've been having so much fun lately mixing lots of colorful patterns and textures, and my sewing machine has certainly been getting a workout!

Thanks so much for stopping in!

A.