There comes a point every single year where smoothies and sashimi just don’t cut it anymore. Not that lighter fare doesn’t have a time and a place, but as the temps drop, my cravings for breaded meats and pome fruits skyrocket. And this recipe (inspired by my days at Woodsman Tavern) just so happens to use in-season parsnips and apples to hearty-up each bite. Hope you’re ready, comfort foodies.
Serving size: Serves 4
Ingredients
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¼ cup butter
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2 garlic cloves, minced
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1 large shallot, minced
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¼ cup pickled shallots
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5 tsp. salt
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1 tsp. red pepper flake
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2 tsp. pepper
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¼ cup sherry
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2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
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½ cup dry white wine
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2 parsnips, peeled and cubed
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2 large apples (the tarter the better)
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1 additional apple, thinly sliced (skin on)
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1 cup heavy cream
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4 boneless pork chops, pounded until very thin with a mallet
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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2 cups vegetable oil
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1 Tbsp. mustard seeds
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¼ cup fennel, thinly sliced
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1 Tbsp. honey
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Fresh tarragon, picked from stem
Mise En Place
Puree
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¼ cup butter
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2 garlic cloves, minced
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1 large shallot, minced
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2 tsp. salt
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1 tsp. red pepper flake
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¼ cup sherry
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½ cup dry white wine
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2 parsnips, peeled and cubed
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2 large apples (the tarter the better)
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1 cup heavy cream
Heat your butter over medium and cook both garlic and shallots until fragrant and transparent (about four minutes). Add your salt and pepper flakes and sweat your garlic and shallots for an additional minute.
Pour both sherry and white wine over your cooking aromatics and add both parsnips and apples. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to jostle your parsnips and apples in the pan until both are soft and pierceable with a fork (about ten minutes).
Lower heat to medium-low and drizzle in heavy cream. Cook for an additional four minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool before transferring your mixture to a food processor or a blender, then blend (working up from low) on high until the mixture is smooth and has the consistency of a silky mashed potato.
Store in an airtight container until ready to use. You can easily make your puree up to two days ahead of serving, just reheat in a pot over low heat. If your mixture needs a little encouragement to loosen up, drizzle small amounts of vegetable or chicken stock and mix swiftly with a wooden spoon until the texture of the first day returns.
Cutlets & Slaw
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4 boneless pork chops, pounded until very thin with a mallet
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3 tsp. salt
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2 tsp. pepper
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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2 cups vegetable oil
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1 apple, thinly sliced (skin on)
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1 Tbsp. mustard seeds
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2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
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¼ cup pickled shallots
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¼ cup fennel, thinly sliced
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1 Tbsp. honey
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Fresh tarragon, picked from stem
Liberally season each pounded cutlet evenly with salt and pepper on each side before dredging in flour.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and gently (no oil burns tonight, ok?) place each breaded cutlet into your pan and cook for two minutes on each side before removing from the pan with tongs and allowing pork to sweat out excess oil onto a paper towel.
Repeat until all four cutlets have been cooked through. Whisk together your honey, vinegar and mustard seeds and soak your apple slices, pickled shallots and fennel in the liquid.
Assembly
Spoon a generous amount of your heated puree onto a dish before placing your pork cutlet above the parsnip puree. Top each cutlet with apple-slaw and tarragon before serving. Resist the urge to eat all four cutlets at once (or don’t resist, your call).
